Two students, Abdulazeez Ismail and Ajala Oluwatimileyin, have been sentenced to death by a Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin for the murder of a 300-level undergraduate of the University of Ilorin, Blessing Olajide.
According to The PUNCH, Olajide was raped and killed by the duo on June 2, 2021, at her sister’s house in the Tanke area of Ilorin, Kwara State.
Also, the presiding Judge, Justice Yusuf sentenced another student, Oyeyemi Omogbolahan, to life improvement, while two siblings: Abdulkarim Shuaib (aka Easy) and Kareem Rasheed (Rashworld), were sentenced to three years’ imprisonment each for withdrawing money from the Guarantee Trust Bank account of the deceased a few days after she was killed.
The court released and cleared three additional defendants, Abdullateef Abdulrahman, Daud Adebayo (Bashman), and Akande Oladoja.
Justice Yusuf found the eight defendants guilty on 11 counts, including conspiracy, rape, culpable homicide, and theft of funds. Two other telephone repairmen who assisted in unlocking Olajide’s phone and helped with the withdrawal of money from her account were also found guilty on conspiracy and theft charges.
The judge ruled that the prosecution’s case was established beyond a reasonable doubt by the testimony of 13 prosecution witnesses compared to 16 defendant witnesses, including those who were charged.
Justice Yusuf said, “While the prosecution established the ingredients of conspiracy and armed robbery against the first three accused persons, it proved beyond reasonable doubt that injury was inflicted on the deceased and she was raped to death.
“I direct that Abdulazeez Ismail and Ajala Moses Oluwatimileyin be hanged by the neck until they are pronounced dead.”
