30-Year-Old Man to Die by Hanging for Brutal Killing of Elderly Woman in Osun State

The Osun State High Court sitting in Ile-Ife has sentenced a 30-year-old man, Taiwo Agboola, to death by hanging for the murder of a 62-year-old woman, Mrs Jadesola Olubayo, following a violent attack that also involved attempted rape and indecent assault.

Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Adedapo Adeniji held that the prosecution had successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, describing the evidence presented before the court as credible, consistent, and sufficient to secure a conviction on all three counts preferred against the defendant.

Background to the incident

According to court records, the tragic incident occurred on October 11, 2023, at a palm oil processing site located at Amula River in Olokemeji Village, Ifetedo, within Ife South Local Government Area of Osun State.

The victim, Mrs Jadesola Olubayo, was reportedly at the processing site when she was attacked. She was accompanied by her granddaughter, Latifat Adeyemo, who later became a key prosecution witness during the trial.

The defendant, Taiwo Agboola, was said to have suddenly appeared at the location and behaved in a manner that immediately caused panic. Witnesses told the court that he stripped himself naked upon arrival, an act that frightened the two women who were present at the scene.

Details of the attack

Testifying before the court, Latifat Adeyemo narrated how the situation escalated rapidly. She stated that both she and her grandmother attempted to escape after noticing the defendant’s erratic and threatening behaviour.

However, Agboola allegedly pursued them and eventually overpowered the elderly woman. Adeyemo told the court that she ran to the owner of the processing site, identified as Ajide Bashiru, to seek help, but by the time assistance could be mobilised and they returned to the scene, the situation had already turned fatal.

According to her testimony, the defendant had assaulted Mrs Olubayo, stripped her naked, and attacked her repeatedly with a stone and a stick. She told the court that the blows were so severe that the victim died on the spot.

The witness further explained that after committing the act, the defendant fled the scene. However, he was later apprehended close to the area where the incident occurred and subsequently handed over to the police for investigation and prosecution.

Charges and trial proceedings

Following his arrest, Taiwo Agboola was arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on attempted rape, indecent assault on a female, and murder. The charges were brought under Sections 359, 360, and 319(1) of the Criminal Code Cap. 34, Laws of Osun State, 2002.

The defendant was formally arraigned on November 7, 2024, and the trial process commenced thereafter.

During the proceedings, the prosecution team from the Osun State Ministry of Justice, led by Ajibola Alade and Omotayo Babalola, presented four witnesses in support of their case. They also tendered evidence aimed at establishing the sequence of events leading to the death of the victim and the involvement of the defendant.

The prosecution maintained that the defendant’s actions were deliberate, violent, and without justification, urging the court to convict him on all counts.

In his defence, Agboola testified on his own behalf but did not call any additional witnesses to support his case. The defence counsel, Oluwaseun Akintola Philip-Idiok, alongside Victoria Ugochi Layi-Jacob, appealed to the court for leniency in sentencing, urging Justice Adeniji to consider mitigating factors in the defendant’s favour.

Judgment of the court

In his ruling, Justice Adeniji stated that the prosecution had established the essential elements of the offences charged, particularly murder, beyond reasonable doubt. He held that the evidence presented by eyewitnesses was strong, direct, and uncontroverted in material respects.

The court consequently found Taiwo Agboola guilty on all three counts.

On sentencing, the judge imposed a 14-year prison term for attempted rape, two years imprisonment for indecent assault, and a death sentence for murder, which remains the most severe penalty under the law.

The court further ruled that the sentences were to run concurrently where applicable, with the ultimate penalty being death by hanging for the murder conviction.

The judgment brings closure to a case that shocked residents of Olokemeji Village and surrounding communities in Ife South Local Government Area. The violent nature of the attack, coupled with the age of the victim and the circumstances described in court, had drawn significant attention throughout the trial.

With the conviction and sentencing concluded, the matter now shifts to post-judgment procedures, including the defendant’s right to appeal the decision at a higher court if he chooses to challenge the ruling.