Man To Spend 8yrs Behind Bars For killing Friend Over Girlfriend
For killing his friend during a fight over a girl friend at Ijanikin area of Lagos State five years ago, Justice Sedotan Ogunsanya of the state high court yesterday convicted and sentenced a 24-year-old man, Sodiq Salaudeen to eight years imprisonment.
Justice Ogunsanya sentenced Salaudeen to the prison term after he pleaded guilty to a lesser offence of manslaughter after the Lagos State government amended the initial one count charge of murder brought against him in 2012.
During the cause of the trial, the prosecution team led by Adebayo Haroun had told the court that the convict, who was 19 years old when the offence was committed, stabbed one Tope Akinyemi with a sharp object in his chest during a fight.
Haroun also claimed that, “The deceased and Salaudeen had attended the same secondary school and knew each other.
“They developed a liking for the same girl and a rivalry developed between them which led to a fight with their friends joining.
“When Salaudeen felt that Akinyemi was gaining an upper hand in the fight, he ran into the nearby kiosk of a Hausa trader to pick a sharp object which he used to stab the deceased once in the chest leading to his death,” he said.
The Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Insp. Festus Imoru had also in his testimony before the court confirmed that the fight which led to Akinyemi’s death was caused by a female.
He said, “During my investigations, I got to know that the two men were asking the unknown girl out and this led to a bitter rivalry between them.
“Efforts to get the name of the girl who caused the fracas was, however, abortive,” said the IPO.
Before the verdict was handed down, the counsel to the convict, Kayode Adebayo, had pleaded with the court for leniency stating that the convict committed the offence out of youthful exuberance.
Adebayo submitted that, “The defendant is a young man with an aged father who has been a widower for quite sometime.
“The crime occurred as a result of youthful exuberance and there was no intention to kill.
“Since the objective of punishment is to reform and not for retribution, I plea for a lighter sentence for the convict so that he can still be useful to the society,” he prayed.
In her judgment, Justice Ogunsanya observed that the three witnesses who testified before the court were not at the scene when the crime occurred.
She held, “The court will be relying on the statement of the defendant which showed that he had no intention to kill the deceased.
“The statement read and I quote: `I used the iron from the Hausa man’s shop to stab him on the left side of his chest. I only wanted to scare him because I was being overpowered by him and his friends; I did not intend to kill him.
“The court is satisfied that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and that the defendant caused the death of the deceased,” the judge stated.
Justice Ogunsanya, however, held that Salaudeen’s eight-year sentence will start from the day he was first detained for the crime.
She held, “The defendant is hereby sentenced to eight years in prison with effect from April 19, 2012.”
Justice Ogunsanya sentenced Salaudeen to the prison term after he pleaded guilty to a lesser offence of manslaughter after the Lagos State government amended the initial one count charge of murder brought against him in 2012.
During the cause of the trial, the prosecution team led by Adebayo Haroun had told the court that the convict, who was 19 years old when the offence was committed, stabbed one Tope Akinyemi with a sharp object in his chest during a fight.
Haroun also claimed that, “The deceased and Salaudeen had attended the same secondary school and knew each other.
“They developed a liking for the same girl and a rivalry developed between them which led to a fight with their friends joining.
“When Salaudeen felt that Akinyemi was gaining an upper hand in the fight, he ran into the nearby kiosk of a Hausa trader to pick a sharp object which he used to stab the deceased once in the chest leading to his death,” he said.
The Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Insp. Festus Imoru had also in his testimony before the court confirmed that the fight which led to Akinyemi’s death was caused by a female.
He said, “During my investigations, I got to know that the two men were asking the unknown girl out and this led to a bitter rivalry between them.
“Efforts to get the name of the girl who caused the fracas was, however, abortive,” said the IPO.
Before the verdict was handed down, the counsel to the convict, Kayode Adebayo, had pleaded with the court for leniency stating that the convict committed the offence out of youthful exuberance.
Adebayo submitted that, “The defendant is a young man with an aged father who has been a widower for quite sometime.
“The crime occurred as a result of youthful exuberance and there was no intention to kill.
“Since the objective of punishment is to reform and not for retribution, I plea for a lighter sentence for the convict so that he can still be useful to the society,” he prayed.
In her judgment, Justice Ogunsanya observed that the three witnesses who testified before the court were not at the scene when the crime occurred.
She held, “The court will be relying on the statement of the defendant which showed that he had no intention to kill the deceased.
“The statement read and I quote: `I used the iron from the Hausa man’s shop to stab him on the left side of his chest. I only wanted to scare him because I was being overpowered by him and his friends; I did not intend to kill him.
“The court is satisfied that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and that the defendant caused the death of the deceased,” the judge stated.
Justice Ogunsanya, however, held that Salaudeen’s eight-year sentence will start from the day he was first detained for the crime.
She held, “The defendant is hereby sentenced to eight years in prison with effect from April 19, 2012.”
