The Ikeja High Court on Monday, March 27, sentenced a domestic staff, Joseph Ogbu, to d£ath by h@nging for k#lling his 89-year-old employer, Ajoke John and her daughter, Oreoluwa John, 38, in Lagos.
The convict, who hails from Oju Local Govt Area of Benue State, br¥tally m¥rdered the victims at their residence at in Surulere, on June 19, 2019, 24 hours after he was employed.
Justice Modupe Nicole-Clay held that the prosecution had sufficiently proven the three-count charge bordering on armed r%bbery and m¥rder against the convict.
She held that the defendant confessed to the crime as he admitted to living with the deceased and was the only witness of the incident.
“He k#lled Adejoke by str@ngling her and Oreoluwa by st@bbing her to d£ath. As the defence did not raise an objection to the admissibility of the confessional statement, there is no doubt that the defendant confessed to the crimes. I have considered the evidence of the security guard, an Okada man, one Yahya Ibrahim, the house help and a police Inspector.
The defendant could not explain what he was doing with all the st%len items he was found with at about 2:00 a.m. on the date he was arrested.
“The court is satisfied with the total evidence to establish the guilt of the defendant. This court has found Joseph Ogbu guilty of these heinous crimes, and you are hereby sentenced to death by h@nging. May God have mercy on your soul,”
The convict, while gesticulating, pleaded for mercy and prayed the court for mercy. The defence counsel, Moses Enema, in his allocutus, prayed the court to have mercy on the convict. However, the state counsel, Olarewaju Daud, urged the court to convict the defendant as charged.
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