Justice Jide Falola of the Osun State High Court in Ikirun on Friday sentenced two men to death by hanging for murder.
Falola in his judgment, said the prosecution counsel proved his case against the convicts, Orisakunle Abiodun, 21; and Opadokun Olayinka, 29, beyond reasonable doubt for the murder of one Matthew Adeoye in Ikirun.
The judge sentenced the convicts to five years imprisonment for conspiracy and death by hanging for murder.
Falola, however, discharged and acquitted the third accused, Femi Aroyehun for lack of evidence against him.
The convicts, who were first arraigned on Jan. 22, 2018, pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge of conspiracy to commit murder and murder, preferred against them.
The State Counsel, Mr. Philips Afolayan, had earlier told the court that the three defendants murdered one Matthew Adeoye on March 9, 2017 in Ikirun.
Afolayan said the offences were contrary to and punishable under Section 324 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap. 34, Vol. 2, Laws of Osun State and Section 316 (1) and punishable under Section 319 (1) of the same Criminal Code Law of Osun State.
Afolayan told the court that on that fateful day, one of the convicts, Abiodun, used his motorcycle to hit the deceased while returning from work with his friend.
The prosecution counsel said that this resulted in an argument between the deceased and the three convicts.
Afolayan said the convicts and some of their supporters descended on the deceased, who later ran for his life.
He said the deceased was beaten to coma with grievous injury inflicted on him.
Afolayan said the deceased was later rushed to a nearby hospital by the police, where he eventually died on the same day.
The Defence Counsel, Mr L.S. Bello, however, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.
Don calls for Sharia Courts in South West
Prof. Abdulmumini Oba a lecturer at the University of Ilorin has called for the establishment of Sharia Courts of Appeal in the South West to cater for the Muslim faithful.
Oba, who lecture at the Department of Jurisprudence and International Law of the university made the call in paper presented at the 189th Inaugural Lecture of the university titled: “Live and let live; rethinking the legal responses to religious, ethnic and legal pluralism”.
He said that the Sharia Courts should be set up in states in South West with size able Muslim population.
Oba said that Sharia Courts of Appeal and High Courts should have jurisdiction in all Islamic Law matters in states where Sharia Court of Appeal existed.
He observed that there was a lacuna in administration of Islamic laws in Nigeria, adding that the colonial authorities did not make efforts to integrate both Customary and Islamic laws into Nigerian legal system.
“There are no provisions for administration of Islamic estates in our statutes.
“This has forced many unwilling Muslims to approach High Courts for letters of administration even in states that have Sharia Courts of Appeal.
“Similarly, the absence of registry for Islamic marriages has forced some Muslim couples to contract statutory marriages.
“This is so that they can get marriage certificates required by some embassies that would not accept affidavits of marriages that are the only legal evidence available for persons who marry under Islamic law,” he said.
Oba stated that Christians and people of other faith had nothing to fear about Islamic laws.
The don said that the jurisdiction of Islamic courts did not extend to unwilling Christians.
He also disclosed that Christian lawyers appeared in Islamic law cases before Islamic Courts and English courts, adding that Christian Judges and Justices also adjudicate on Islamic Law cases.
The law expert explained that Islamic laws recognised the judicial and cultural autonomy of non-Muslims in matters of their own personal issues.
Oba called for unity, tolerance, understanding among Nigerians and warned against politicising matters affecting national cohesion.
