Justice Oyeyemi Ajayi of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan, on Monday sentenced five men to death by hanging for the murder of a taxi driver, Akeem Shittu, in Arulogun, Akinyele Local Government Area, in 2024.
The convicts — Segun Taiwo (36), Kehinde Ademola (46), Yahaya Adeniyi (45), Chinonso Samson (41) and Opadotun Michael (32) — were found guilty of conspiracy and murder. Each was handed a 20-year jail term for conspiracy to commit murder, in addition to the death sentence.
In her judgment, Justice Ajayi held that the court could safely infer conspiracy from the collective actions of the defendants, which ultimately led to Shittu’s death.
Earlier, State Counsel K. K. Oloso recounted how a minor road incident escalated into a fatal attack. On April 10, 2024, around 8:30 p.m., Shittu accidentally hit a motorcycle conveying two passengers along Elepe, Arulogun Road in the Ojoo area of Ibadan. Efforts to settle the matter at a nearby pub failed after the motorcyclists’ group reportedly demanded N50,000 for treatment. Shittu could only raise N8,000 and was prevented from leaving. He was stripped, escaped briefly, but was later cornered and attacked with a machete.
Investigators later found his taxi and handkerchief abandoned in front of a shop owned by one of the convicts’ wives.
The prosecution noted that the offences violated Sections 316 and were punishable under Sections 319 and 324 of the Criminal Code Laws of Oyo State 2000, which stipulate severe penalties for conspiracy and homicide.
