An Osun State High Court in Ede has sentenced two friends, Oluwashina Wakeel and Yusuf Adewale, to seven years in prison for conspiracy and assaulting a motorcyclist, AbdulSalam Oyewale.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Kudirat Akano, found the duo guilty of six out of seven charges, including conspiracy and assault occasioning harm. However, the charge of attempted murder was downgraded to assault.
According to the case details, the attack occurred on September 19, 2022, along Ibode Poly Road, Ede. Oyewale recounted in court that he was on a motorcycle with a friend, Usman Abdulbasit, around 11 a.m. when a black Toyota Corolla overtook and blocked their path.
“One of the men came out, took my motorcycle key, and started beating me. Before I knew it, others joined in and even inserted a stick into my right eye,” Oyewale testified.
Despite seeking medical help in Osogbo, Ibadan, and Lagos, doctors informed him that his damaged eye was beyond repair.
The prosecution, led by Morufat Bello, the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary of the Osun State Ministry of Justice, presented nine exhibits to support the case. Four witnesses testified, while the defendants took the stand in their defense but called no witnesses.
In her judgment, Justice Akano stated, “The defendants are each found guilty of the offences as charged, except for count two, which has been reduced from attempted murder to assault occasioning harm.”
The convicts’ lawyer, Ayodele Laogun, appealed for a lighter sentence, emphasizing that Wakeel and Adewale were first-time offenders with families who depended on them.
However, the court ruled in favor of a seven-year sentence, marking the conclusion of a case that began in March 2023.
