Justice Raliat Adebiyi of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja yesterday sentenced a 33-year-old student, Allen Abiodun, of the University of Abuja to death for killing his younger brother, one Allen Wale, with a broken bottle.

After six years of murder trial, the judge found him guilty and convicted him of murder charge brought against him by the Lagos State government. His offence was contrary to Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011. 

The judge held that the prosecution proved its case of murder beyond reasonable doubt against the defendant. She found the defendant guilty and convicted of the murder of his brother. “You, Allen Abiodun, is hereby sentenced to death. May God, the giver of life, have mercy on you,” she said.

During trial, the prosecution counsel, O.R. Ahmed-Muil, called four witnesses who had testified against the defendant. Abiodun was arraigned on February 20, 2013 for killing his brother at Imude Village, Oto-Awori.

The prosecution told the court that the convict attacked his younger brother with a broken bottle, stabbed him severally at the right side of his neck, dragged his body to a bush and covered it with leaves. One of the witnesses, Mr. Sunday Abogunrin, a landlord of the convict, had testified that Abiodun was a troublesome fellow who fought his siblings at any slight provocation.

The witness narrated to the court that he caught the convict dragging the deceased body into a bush after he had killed him. “I have known the defendant since his childhood and his entire family. On February 20, 2013, at about 2:00a.m. I heard dogs barking. Initially, people around were afraid to come out to check what was irritating the dogs for fear of robbers but later on they all came out, including me. 

“I noticed someone dragging something into the nearby bush. I initially wanted to raise an alarm but instead, I put my torch on and the person ran off towards the house. I immediately followed to see who it was only to meet the defendant washing his hands, covered in blood, near the well. I quickly alerted the Baale of the community, who then ordered the youths to apprehend him.”

Also the witness further told court that the convict broke his sister’s hand and smacked his other brother’s head while attempting to escape when the community youths came to apprehend him. “He was finally apprehended with the help of some Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) members who took him to the Baale’s palace,” he said.

Another witness, ASP Uthman Lamidi, the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) from llemba Hausa Police Station said he was on duty when the report about the incident was lodged at his station. Lamidi said he and his team immediately went to the Oba’s Palace, arrested the defendant there and went with him to the crime scene. 

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