JUSTICE Basirat Adebowale of an Ogun State High Court sitting in Abeokuta yesterday (3 February 2025) convicted and sentenced three persons to death by hanging for ik!l!ng a couple, Kehinde and Bukola Fatinoye and their son, Oreoluwa, on New Year’s Day in 2023.
The couple, Kehinde Fatinoye, a former staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) his wife, Bukola Fatinoye and son, Oreoluwa, were gruesomely m8rdered on New Year’s Day in 2023.
The family had returned home after attending the 2022/2023 crossover service at the Christ Anglican Church Iporo-Ake, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
A few hours after the crossover into the New Year, the assailants, led by Bukola’s driver, stormed their semi-detached apartment, killed the couple and set their bodies on fire.
Their only surviving son, Oreoluwa, and house help, Olorunyomi Felix, who they adopted, were tied with ropes and thrown into the Ogun River. The family was still healing from the death of Oluwatunmise, the younger of the two sons, who died in June 2022, while playing football.
Justice Adebowale sentenced the trio of Adekambi Lekan, who was the driver of the deceased; Odetola Ahmed and Adeniyi Waheed, after delivering a judgment which lasted for more than three hours.
The trio were arraigned alongside Fadairo Temitope (wife of the first defendant); Adekambi Adenike, the mother; Owolaja Aanuoluwapo; Usman Azeez, Abass Odetola and Adewusi Lukman.
They were arraigned on a 24-count charge including conspiracy to commit armed robbery, conspiracy, murder, arson, escape from lawful custody, perverting the course of justice, and receiving stolen property, among others.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Adebowale held that the prosecution proved its case against three major defendants beyond a reasonable doubt.
The judge found them guilty of gruesomely murdering the couple and the son before setting the corpses on fire.
Adebowale also held that in the manner with which the convicts murdered the couple and the son, they didn’t deserve the mercy of the court as prayed by their lawyers.
Eighteen-Eleven Media