Court sentences man to death for murder, jails two oil marketers seven years for fraud
18 March 2022 |
2:49 am
Justice Oyindamola Adesola Ogala of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, yesterday, sentenced a middle-aged man, Moses Haruna to death by hanging for the murder of one Oriyomi two years ago at Anthony Village in Lagos State. The judge sentenced him after finding him guilty of offence of murder brought against him by…
Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP)
Justice Oyindamola Adesola Ogala of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, yesterday, sentenced a middle-aged man, Moses Haruna to death by hanging for the murder of one Oriyomi two years ago at Anthony Village in Lagos State.
The judge sentenced him after finding him guilty of offence of murder brought against him by the state government.
While delivering her judgment, Justice Ogala held that the prosecution has proved their case beyond reasonable doubt as stipulated by law and pronounced the convict guilty of the two-count charge of conspiracy to commit murder and murder.
The court therefore convicted and sentenced him to death without any option.
The convict was arraigned before the court in November 2020 on a two-count charge, for which he pleaded not guilty.
He was accused of conspiracy to commit murder contrary to Section 233 of the Criminal Law, CH 17, Vol. 3 laws of Lagos State 2015 as well as murder contrary to Section 223 of the Criminal Law, CH17, Vol.3 Laws of Lagos State 2015.
The prosecution said, Haruna and two others (now at large) “on or about February 13, 2020, at Anthony Village playing Ground, Lagos State, in Ikeja Judicial Division, did conspire to kill one Oriyomi (M)”, which incident happened “at 05:00hrs at Anthony Village playing Ground, Lagos State, in the Ikeja Judicial Division and did conspire to kill one Oriyomi (M) by stabbing him on the head, chest and side with a knife and hitting him on the head with an iron bar.”
The trial lasted about one and half years and eventually, the court concluded it and found the convict guilty.
“ The honourable court found that the prosecution has sufficiently proved the charge of murder contrary to Section 223 of the Criminal Law C17, Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State 2015 against the defendant and pursuant to the provision of Section 222(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015, is therefore convicted thereof, pursuant to the provision of pt. 22 Section 310 of Administration of Criminal Law of Lagos State (2015).
“The sentence of the court upon you Moses Haruna is that you be hanged by the neck until you are dead and may God have mercy on your soul,” Justice Ogala held.
After the judgment, the convict broke down and was immediately handcuffed by warders from the Correctional Centre.
IN another case, Justice Sodetan Ogunsanya of the same court has sentenced Epebinu Omoniyi, his company, Pure Pack Oil Nigeria Ltd, as well as Adekanbi Adedayo and his company, First Hallmark Energy Limited to seven years imprisonment for fraud.
The judge convicted the two after finding them guilty on eight counts charge of fraud brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
They were first arraigned alongside their companies on October 16, 2017, on charges bordering on conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence, obtaining by false pretence, conspiracy to commit felony and forgery.
EFCC alleged that “Epebinu Omoniyi, Adekanbi Adedayo, First Hallmark Energy Ltd, Pure Pack Oil Limited, Titus Adegoke (at large) and Demola Omisore (at large) on or about the 8th day of December 2014 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N3 million from Ayo Faleti under the false representation that you have secured a contract from Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to supply crude oil from Nigeria to the United States of America and that the sum represented one percent contract performance bond payment, which representation you knew to be false.”
They were also alleged to have forged a document titled: ‘To whom it may concern, Letter of authority to sell Bonny Light Crude and to represent the NNPC/Shell JV Operators Bonny Terminal issued in favour of Pure Pack Oil Nigeria Limited dated 22nd October 2014 purporting same to be issued by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).”
They pleaded not guilty to all the counts.
During the trial, the prosecuting counsel, Samuel Owede called four witnesses and tendered 12 Exhibit to prove the case of the prosecution.
In his judgment, Justice Ogunsanya discharged and acquitted them only on count six and held that the prosecution proved the other counts against the defendants beyond a reasonable doubt.
She, therefore, sentenced Omoniyi and Adedayo to seven years on counts one and two and three years on counts three, four, five, seven and eight.
While the companies were also each fined N100,000 having been found guilty of counts one and two. The sentences are to run concurrently.
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