Two friends bag seven years jail term for inserting stick into man’s eye

An Osun State High Court, sitting in Ede, presided over by Justice Kudirat Akano, on Thursday, sentenced two friends, namely Oluwashina Adenle Wakeel and Yusuf Adewale, to seven years imprisonment each for attacking a man, Abdul Salam Jubril Oyewale, with a stick until he lost his right eye.

The convicts were arraigned on a seven-count charge of conspiracy, attempted murder, and assault occasioning harm.

A Certified True Copy of the judgment delivered by Justice Kudirat Akano, obtained by The Guardian, indicated that convicts were arraigned in March 2023, on seven-count charges of conspiracy, attempted murder, and assault occasioning harm all under different sections of the criminal code.

“The victim, Oyewale during the trial narrated that in September 2022, while on a motorcycle with one Usman Abdulbasit (PW3) along Ibode Poly Road, Ede about 11:00 am, a black Toyota Corolla overtook him on his motorcycle with the other two people on it and crossed their way.

“That the 2nd Defendant got down from his car and removed the key of his motorcycle and beat him up with the other people with him in the car including the 1st Defendant. In the process they inserted a stick into his right eye with blood gushing out and all over his body.

“Thereafter, he went to different hospitals for treatment, including Minaret Hospital Osogbo, University College Hospital Ibadan, and Eye Foundation Hospital Lagos, where he was finally told that nothing could be done to salvage the eye as the retina has been detached from behind and could not be operated upon. That he still goes for treatment in order to save the other eye.

“After calling four witnesses and tendered nine exhibits, the court agreed that the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary for the state, Morufat Bello, and a Chief State Counsel, Adekunle Adeniyi, had proven their case beyond reasonable doubt.”

However, counsel to the convicts, Ayodele Laogun, prayed the court to be lenient in sentencing his clients, pleading that they were first-time offenders with families that were dependent on them.

Justice Akano thereafter sentenced the convicts to seven years imprisonment for conspiracy; three years for assault occasioning harm; one year for assault; one month for breach of peace, and pronounced that the jail term would run concurrently.