The Court of Appeal in Akure, Ondo State, has kept its decision pending on the appeal lodged by an individual, who was handed a death sentence by an Osun State High Court in Osogbo for the demise of a postgraduate student at Obafemi Awolowo University. The student was allegedly killed at the individual’s hotel in Ile-Ife.
The appeal court is yet to make a ruling on the case. The defendant and two of the hotel staff were convicted by the Osun High Court for the murder, which took place while the student was staying at the hotel in November 2021.
The court’s basis for the conviction relied heavily on circumstantial evidence that pointed to the involvement of the defendant and the staff in the crime. The defendant’s refusal to testify or provide an alibi weakened his defense during the trial.
The judgment handed down by Justice Adepele Ojo sentenced the defendant and the two staff members to death by hanging for their alleged roles in disposing of the student’s body from the hotel premises.
Following their dissatisfaction with the verdict, the defendant and the co-accused took the case to the Appeal Court in a bid to reverse the decision of the High Court.
During the recent hearing, the respondents’ counsel urged the Appeal Court to reject the defendant’s appeal and uphold the High Court’s judgment, emphasizing that the circumstantial evidence presented by the prosecution clearly linked the defendant to the crime.
On the other side, the defendant’s counsel argued that the lower court’s conviction lacked substantial evidence. They claimed that none of the prosecution’s witnesses directly linked the defendant to the crime, and his absence from the hotel at the time of the incident raised doubts about his involvement.
The panel overseeing the case has reserved its judgment after both parties presented their arguments in writing. The date for the ruling will be communicated to the involved parties in due course.