Kwara state High Court sitting in Ilorin, the state capital on Tuesday sentenced two persons to death by hanging for culpable homicide. The convicts are AbdulAzeez Ismail and Ajala Moses Oluwatimileyin aka Jacklord.
NigeriaCrime.com learned that convicts along with six others namely Oyeyemi Timileyin Omogbolahan, Abdulkarim Shuaib (Easy), Kareem Oshioyemi Rasheed (Rashworld), Abdullateef Abdulrahman, Daud Bashir Adebayo and Akande Taiye Oladoja were arraigned in June 2021 before the court for alleged rape and murder of a student of University of Ilorin, Miss Olajide Gloria Blessing Omowumi at her residence located in Tanke area of the Ilorin metropolis.
The deceased is said to be staying with her elder sister in Tanke area, until her death was a student of Agricultural Science Department.
Gloria Blessing hailed from Oke-Opin community, Ekiti local government area of Kwara state.
Blessing had barely returned to her bedroom on the fateful day when the then suspects forcefully gained entry into her room and raped her until she bled to death and also dispossessed her of many items.
There were heated protests by the students of the institution and various NGOs last year over the dastardly act that drew the attention of national and international bodies to the ugly incident.
The defendants were brought before the court by the Kwara state government in suit No KWS/33c/c/2021, on an 11-count charge bordering on armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms and rape.
Delivering his judgment, which lasted for about four and half hours, Justice Ibrahim Yusuf also convicted Olayemi Timileyin Omogbolahan (3rd defendant) of rape and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Justice Yusuf further found AbdulKarim Shuaib (4th defendant) and Kareem Oshioyemi Rasheed (5th defendant) guilty of conspiracy to steal and stealing of money in the account of the deceased and accordingly sentenced them to three years imprisonment to run concurrently commencing from the day of their arrest.
He however discharged and acquitted Abdullateef AbdulRahman, David Bashir Adebayo and Akande Taiye Oladoja the 6th to 8th defendants, being the receivers of stolen items.
In his reaction, former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Salman Jawondo (SAN) who was the state counsel when the case commenced, said he was issued a fiat to conclude the case.
Jawondo hailed the judgment, adding that “it went well. The irony of it is that those that were involved are very young men. It is quite unfortunate. That goes to say that we have to work on our future in this country.”