Herdsman bags death sentence in Ekiti over murder

By OPEYEMI AREMU-GBEMIRO

An Ekiti State High Court on Thursday sentenced a 25-year-old man, Mohamodu Haruna, to death by hanging for matchetting to death a fellow herdsman.

Delivering judgment in the murder case in Ado-Ekiti, Justice Adekunle Adeleye said “there are no surrounding circumstances that destroyed the cogency of the circumstantial evidence led against the accused.

“He is caught in the web of the last seen theory. In the result, I find the defendant guilty as charged. He is sentenced to death by hanging.”

The Prosecution counsel, Shirley Atanel, had during trial told the court that Haruna committed the offence on Feb. 12, 2018, at the Uro river in Iyin Ekiti, Irepodun/Ifelodun council of the state.

Atanel said that the convict murdered one Mohamadu Usman contrary to Section 516 of the Criminal Code, CAP C16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.

Giving evidence in the case, one of the prosecution witnesses told the court that while riding his motorcycle past the river, he saw two herdsmen approaching the river with their herds of cattle.

The witness said that he later saw Haruna returning a blood stained matchet into its sheath and the other herdsman lying face down in a pool of blood with a matchet cut on his neck.

During the trial, the prosecution called four witnesses including the IPO and tendered exhibits to prove its case including the convicts confessional statements, photographs of the deceased and a blood stained matchet.

Haruna, who was represented by his defence counsel, Mr Yinka Opaleke, testified in his own defence and called no witness. (NAN)