Sunday, July 25, 2010

Chief Priest Bag Death Sentence for Murder - Benin

A Benin Chief Priest, Mr. Felix Osadolor, alias Afro, has been sentenced to death by hanging by a Benin High Court presided over by the Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Cromwell Idahosa, over the murder of a palace chief, late Chief Sunday Ahanon.
Also sentenced to death by hanging along with him are Ogbemudia Omoruyi and Oluwafemi Aihevbua over their involvement in the death of the late chief.

The court, however, discharged and acquitted three other persons, Messrs Alex Oritseje, Uwaifo Iguodala and Kindness Emwanta, who were charged alongside the suspects on the ground that there was no strong and credible evidence linking them with the accused persons to the offence.

Ahanon, the Eson of Benin was murdered in Benin by gunmen on the November 15, 2005. Delivering judgment, Justice Idahosa held that there was sufficient evidence linking Messrs Felix Osadolo, Ogbemudia Omoruyi and Oluwafemi Aihevba with the murder of Chief Sunday Ahanon.

The court held that though conspiracy was not necessarily aimed at seeing the suspects together to commit crime, it could be inferred from the acts of the suspects, just as it noted that Osadolor gave evidence that the late Chief Ahanon was his friend and their aged long differences settled, the same Osadolor in his statement to the police made unpalatable utterances against Chief Ahanon.

The court further held that Osadolor denied knowing  Omoruyi but in his statement to the police, the same Osadolor admitted that  Omoruyi was his driver and a disciple in his shrine.

Besides, the court noted that the evidence of   Ahanon's driver, who saw  Omoruyi and Oluwafemi Aihevba in a red Mercedez Benz car opposite the Palace of the Oba of Benin and the spot where the late Chief was shot was not controverted.

Sentencing the accused persons to death, the judge held that Osadolor had the motive of killing Ahanon, hence he absconded after the murder was committed.


African News Online

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