Three men to die by hanging for raping Unilorin student to death 

Abdulazeez Ismail, Ajala Oluwatimileyin, and Oyeyemi Omogbolahan, the suspects, raped to death a 300-level Unilorin student on June 2, 2021.

Following a year and a half of legal wrangling, the Kwara High Court condemned the killers of Olajide Blessing Omowumi, a 300-level student at the University of Ilorin, to death by hanging on Tuesday.

The assailants raped and murdered the deceased, who would have been 26 this year.

The trial judge, Ibrahim Yusuf, who delivered the verdict, convicted the first, second, and third suspects, Abdulazeez Ismail, Ajala Oluwatimileyin, and Oyeyemi Omogbolahan, of culpable homicide and armed robbery, and sentenced them to death by hanging.

“I command that Abdulazeez Ismail, Ajala Oluwatimileyin, and Oyeyemi Omogbolahan be hanged by the neck until they are pronounced dead,” the court said.

The court also sentenced the fourth and fifth suspects to three years in prison for stealing in the 165-page decision, which was delivered over four hours.

Previously, the court had discharged and acquitted the sixth, seventh, and eighth defendants, Abdullateef Abdulrahman, Daud Aderayo, and Akande Oladoja, because they had not been found guilty of any offenses.

According to the verdict, the deceased’s lifeless corpse was discovered in the afternoon with bruises all over her body, her hands tied behind her back, and a towel covering her face.

The judge went on to say that the conventional statement, which could be relied on under the law, revealed that the deceased struggled with the killers until she was pushed and fell, and that the first and third convicts held her down so that the second convict could commit the heinous crime of rape.

He stated that the girl was raped to death on June 2, 2021, at her guardian’s apartment in Ilorin’s Tanke district and that a piece of paper with the inscription ‘No forgiveness for Unilorin student’ was dropped on her breast.

Messrs Ismail, Oluwatimileyin, and Omogbolahan, according to the verdict, plotted to rob the deceased of her Samsung Galaxy A2 Core handset, one black Acer Aspire laptop, and one Samsung drive, among other items.

The killers were charged with 11 counts, including murder, rape, armed robbery, and illegal possession of guns.

Salman Jawondo, the prosecution attorney and former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, told press following the court session that justice had caught up with the perpetrators.

“Although the third defendant, who was also convicted of rape, was sentenced to life in prison, it makes no difference. “When someone is sentenced to life in jail, it makes no difference,” he remarked.

Mr Jawondo went on to say, “With regard to the fourth and fifth defendants, they were found guilty of conspiracy to steal and stealing money from the deceased’s bank account.”

“You know, after they murdered her, they stole her ATM card, Sim card, and phone.”

“They changed her password with the help of the fourth and fifth defendants, who are computer professionals, and collected some money through transfer, totaling roughly N149,000.”

“They were found guilty of conspiracy and stealing/theft.” As a result, they were sentenced to three years in jail, to be served concurrently. One year for conspiracy, three years for principal offense, beginning on the date of their arrest.”

(NAN)