By Adenike Ayodele
An Ikeja High Court on Monday sentenced a domestic staff, Joseph Ogbu to death by hanging for killing his employer, an 89-year-old woman Ajoke John and her daughter, Oreoluwa in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Modupe Nicole-Clay, held that the prosecution had sufficiently proven the three-count charge bordering on armed robbery and murder against the convict.
Nicole-Clay held that the defendant confessed to the crime as he admitted to living with the deceased and that he was the only witness of the incident.
“He killed Adejoke by strangling her and Oreoluwa by stabbing her to death as defence did not raise objection to the admissibility of the confessional statement, there is no doubt that the defendant confessed to the crimes.
“I have considered the evidence of the security guard, an Okada man, one Yahya Ibrahim, the house help and a police Inspector.
“The defendant could not give an explanation as to what he was doing with all the stolen items he was found with as at about 2 a.m on the date he was arrested.
“The court is satisfied with the total evidence to established the guilt of the defendant.
“This court has found Joseph Ogbu guilty of these heinous crimes and you are hereby sentenced to death by hanging. May God have mercy on your soul,” Nicole-Clay pronounced.
The convict, while gesticulating, pleaded for mercy and prayed the court for mercy.
The convict said in pidgin English, “the mama no die for my presence. I beg for mercy.”
The defence counsel, Moses Enema, in his allocutus, prayed the court to have mercy on the convict.
“The defendant is a first time offender, a son to a young widow who is largely dependent on this son.
“In the course of the trial, my lord, the defendant was very remorseful, it is an indication that he is willing to turn a new leave. We do pray the court to temper justice with mercy,” Enema said.
The state counsel, Olarewaju Daud, however, urged the court to convict the defendant as charged.
Daud told the court that the convict committed the offences at 9.30 p.m. on Ogunlana Drive, Surulere Lagos.
The prosecution submitted that the defendant killed Oreoluwa by stabbing her to death, robbed the deceased of her car, phones and Plasma TV while armed with a knife.
He also said the convict, while armed with a knife, robbed the octogenarian of her Toyota Camry Saloon car, with Registration No. FST 104 CW, LG plasma TV, motorway handset, one Gionee handset, one Nokia phone, one i-Tel Phone and one power bank.
The offence, the prosecutor said, contravened the provisions of sections 222 and 297 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, (2015).
