Court Sentences 78-Year-Old Ondo Community Leader To Death For Murder

A 78-year-old community leader, Ojo Komolafe, was yesterday sentenced to death by hanging by an Ondo State High Court over the killing of a school proprietor, Taofik Babalola.

The septuagenarian reportedly killed the school proprietor with a gun on August 7, 2021, at Kajola axis of Odigbo Local Council of the state.

According to the prosecutor, H.M. Falowo, who called four witnesses – the deceased’s wife, a neighbour, a police officer and a pathologist, told the court that the victim was sleeping when he was shot in the thigh.

During her testimony, Babalola, the wife of the deceased, stated that she heard a gunshot and immediately ran out, only to see the convict holding a gun in the corridor.

She said: “I saw the defendant coming out of my husband’s room. I took to my heels with the fear that he could also shoot me.

“Thereafter, I rushed to my husband’s room and met him on his bed in the pool of his blood, shouting with his last breath that Komolafe shot him. I rushed out and called people to come to my aid, but my husband died in the process.”

However, the convict denied the allegations and claimed that the deceased’s wife was coerced into mentioning his name.

He alleged that some cultists, whom he had reported for arson, conspired with Mrs. Babalola to testify against him. The defendant further stated that he was at home with his wife at the time of the incident, adding that they heard the gunshot.

In his verdict, Justice Yemi Fasanmi noted that there were inconsistencies in the defendant’s statement.

Justice Fasanmi held that the claim that some people conspired against the convict was a mere assumption. “It is my finding that the defendant caused the death of the deceased by shooting him with a gun at a close range, which subsequently led to his death.

“The deceased was also seen fleeing the scene of the crime. On the whole, I find the defendant guilty of the two counts as charged. You (the defendant) are hereby sentenced to be hanged on the neck until you die in the first count and seven years imprisonment for the second count.”