Osun State: Court sentence 4 to death, over killing of former Governor’s cousin .

Four men were found guilty of armed robbery and murder and were given the death by hanging penalty by the Osun State High Court in Osogbo.

The convicts are Hammed Rafiu, aged 37, Rasidi Waidi, 39, Kayode Sunday, 29, and Owolabi Bashiru, 54.

On October 23, 2019, they appeared in court for an arraignment. They were charged by the court of murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, conspiracy to murder, and theft.

On November 26, 2018, Victor Akinbile traveled to Ikirun, Osun State, to attend the swearing-in ceremonies of former Deputy Governor Benedict Gboyega Alabi and former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola.

The prosecutor had previously explained to the court that after Victor Akinbile arrived, the convicts killed him.

Akintayo claimed that Akinbile, who spent the night in his uncle’s home in the Moboreje Area of Ikirun, had contacted his wife to let her know he had arrived safely on November 26, 2018.

He claimed that one of the prisoners, Owolabi Bashiru, told Hammed Rafiu, Rashidi Waidi, and Kayode Sunday that Akinbile had arrived from Lagos and was staying in a house right across from his place of duty at Basorun House Moboreje Area, Ikirun.

He claimed that the inmates—who were allegedly armed with firearms and cutlasses—jumped the fence into Alabi’s home and forced their way through the window into the room where Akinbile was sleeping.

He claimed that when they sought N10 million from Victor, he refused and revealed that he had N5 million in his bank account instead.

According to reports, the victim transferred N3 million to Hammed Rafiu’s account at United Bank for Africa (UBA), who then demanded N100,000 in cash from the victim after threatening to murder him.

Akinbile was taken hostage by the convicts after they stole more than N3 million from him.

They then drove him to Dominion Camp, along the old Iragbiji Road along the Ikirun/Osogbo road, where they set him and the car on fire.

According to the prosecutor, this incident led to Akinbile’s death.