KOLADE Tosin, 22, has been handed the death penalty for the brutal killing of 17-year-old Ifeoluwa Apanpa, whom he also raped in Ibadan, Oyo State.

An Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan found Tosin guilty of murder and rape following a harrowing trial that laid bare the horrific events of September 2022.

Presiding judge, Justice Mojisola I. Sule, ordered that the convict be hanged by the neck until pronounced dead on the first count of murder.

She also handed down a separate sentence of life imprisonment without caning for the rape of the teenager.

The court heard that Tosin, who was 20 at the time of the offence, attacked Ifeoluwa on 17th September 2022 in the Olódó area of Ibadan.

Her lifeless body was later discovered beside a road, her underwear stained with blood.

Mother’s Discovery Led to Arrest

The case began to unravel when the convict’s own mother found the victim’s mobile phone in her son’s possession.

She reported the matter to the pastor of the deceased, who then alerted the authorities.

Police detectives from the Iyana Offa Divisional Headquarters arrested Tosin before transferring him to the Homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation Department in Iyaganku, Ibadan, for further enquiries.

Prosecution Built Compelling Case

The prosecution team, led by the Oyo State Attorney General, Abiodun Aikomo, called four witnesses to prove their case.

These included the victim’s father, retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Arimiyau Apanpa; the deceased’s pastor, Olusegun Ajulo; Corporal Ayoade Quadri; and Assistant Superintendent of Police Segun Oladunjoye.

During the trial, Tosin denied ever making a statement to the police.

However, Justice Sule found that his statement had been taken in full compliance with the law, in the presence of his parents.

“It is a settled principle of the law that a litigant will not be allowed to blow hot and cold at the same time,” the judge declared. “I hold in agreement with the prosecution that the defendant’s denial of making a statement to the police later in his defence is an afterthought and cannot avail him.”

Judge: Evidence ‘Leaves No Room for Acquittal’

Justice Sule noted that the convict had provided a “graphic detail of his crimes” in his police statement, admitting that he had forcefully had sexual intercourse with the deceased without her consent.

“The evidence is very compelling and leaves no room for acquittal,” she said. “I hold that the prosecution has proved the ingredients of murder and rape beyond reasonable doubt.”

She added: “The defendant told the police that he forcefully had sexual intercourse with the deceased, thus signifying that she did not give her consent. The deceased was not the defendant’s wife, and there was evidence of penetration.”

Sentencing

Before passing sentence, the judge quoted Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code 2000, noting that the punishment for murder “admits of no option and has no discretion in court”.

“I therefore, hereby sentence you, Kolade Tosin, to death, by hanging on the neck until pronounced dead. May God have mercy on your soul,” Justice Sule pronounced.

On the rape charge, she cited Section 358 of the Criminal Code, which provides for life imprisonment with or without caning. “Having found you guilty of raping one Ifeoluwa Apanpa, I hereby sentence you to imprisonment for life without caning,” she said.

The convict, now 22, listened as the verdict was delivered.

He has the right to appeal against the sentence.