An Ikeja Special Offences Court on Wednesday sentenced to death, three men
who kidnapped a Lagos monarch and killed his palace guard.
Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo sentenced Duba Fureso, Reuben Anthony and Yerin
Fresh, who kidnapped the Oniba of Iba, Oba Oseni Goriola, murdered his
72-year-old palace guard, Sunday Okanlawon, and attempted to murder the
monarch’s wife, Bosede.
The convicts also murdered a motorcyclist, Joseph Okeke.
It was reports that Taiwo sentenced the convicts to death for murder, life
sentence for attempted murder, and 21 years’ imprisonment for kidnap.
The judge also sentenced them to various prison terms for conspiracy to
murder, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and armed robbery that occurred when
they kidnapped the royal father on July 16, 2016.
Taiwo said “The prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and
established the ingredients of all the offences. I find the defendants guilty
as charged.
The stiff sentences the judge said should serve as deterrent to others as “A
clear message should be sent to kidnappers and murderers. Their victims and
their families are usually very traumatised, and the families are usually asked
to pay very high ransoms.
“For the offence of conspiracy to commit murder, the defendants are each
sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment; the defendants are sentenced to death for
the murder of Okanlawon and Okeke.
“For the offence of attempt to
murder, the defendants are sentenced to life imprisonment – for the shooting
Olori Bosede Goriola,’’.
Taiwo also sentenced each of them to 10 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy
to commit armed robbery.
“For the offence of armed robbery, the defendants are each sentenced to
life imprisonment; for the offence of conspiracy to kidnap, each of the
defendants is sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.
“The defendants are each sentenced to 21 years’ imprisonment for the
offence of kidnapping. The sentences are to run concurrently,”
Miss Titilayo Shitta-Bey, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of
Justice and lead prosecutor, had submitted that the convicts and others still
at large, committed the offences on July 16, 2016 at 6.00p.m. at the palace of
the monarch in Iba, Lagos.
According to her, the convicts, while armed with guns, stormed the palace
to abduct the monarch. She said that during the abduction, the assailants, shot
the queen, who tried to stop them, in the abdomen. “The assailants fired
several shots into the air; Okanlawon and Okeke were shot dead by the convicts.
The defendants – Fureso, a timber contractor; Fresh, a fisherman, and
Reuben, a timber contractor, testified for defence, denying committing the
offences.
Earlier before Taiwo passed the sentences, defence counsel, Mr G. O.
Eguaroje, pleaded for leniency for the convicts whom he said are first-time
offenders and are all family men.