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An Osun State High Court sitting in Iwo has sentenced three men to death over the killing of a 52-year-old woman in the Ile-Ogbo area of the state.
The convicts, Muideen Tunji, Yusuf Muslim and Rabiu Fatai, were sentenced on Thursday after the court found them guilty of offences connected to the death of Asiata Yekeen.
The court held that the prosecution successfully established charges of conspiracy, murder and unlawful possession of human parts against the defendants.
The case arose from the disappearance of Yekeen, whose absence raised concern among relatives and residents after repeated efforts to reach her failed.
Following reports made to the police and the Osun Amotekun Corps in Ile-Ogbo, security operatives launched an investigation into her whereabouts.
The three men were later arrested and charged under relevant provisions of the Criminal Code Laws of Osun State, including Sections 324, 319(a) and 329A(1).
They were arraigned before Justice Fatimah Sodamade on January 31, 2023, in Suit No. HIW/IC/2023, where they pleaded not guilty to all counts.
During the trial, the prosecution, led by Dele Akintayo from the Ministry of Justice, detailed how the deceased was allegedly lured to Tunji’s residence under the pretext of settling a financial obligation.
Akintayo told the court that “Yekeen met the other defendants at the house and was later assaulted before being killed.”
According to the prosecution, “the defendants dismembered the victim’s body, removed some parts and buried the remains in a shallow grave near the residence.”
The court heard that suspicion was raised when residents recalled seeing Yekeen enter Tunji’s house shortly before her disappearance became public knowledge.
Evidence before the court showed that Tunji fled the area when investigations intensified, while Muslim sheltered him and Fatai retained parts of the deceased’s body.
The prosecution called six witnesses, tendered 13 exhibits and relied on confessional statements made by the defendants.
Defence counsel challenged the prosecution’s case, arguing that the evidence presented was circumstantial and largely based on hearsay.
In her judgment, Justice Sodamade ruled that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and convicted the defendants on all counts.
She sentenced them to four years’ imprisonment for conspiracy, five years for unlawful possession of human parts, and death by hanging for the offence of murder.
