After one and half year legal tussle, an Ilorin High Court, on Tuesday, sentenced killers of a 300 level student of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Olajide Blessing Omowumi, to death by hanging.

The deceased, who would had turned 26 years this year, was raped and murdered by the assailants.

The presiding judge, Justice Ibrahim Yusuf, convicted the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd suspects, Abdulazeez Ismail, Ajala Oluwatimileyin, and Oyeyemi Omogbolahan, respectively, for the offences of culpable homicide and armed robbery, ordering that they should die by hanging.

“I direct you Abdulazeez Ismail, Ajala Oluwatimileyin and Oyeyemi Omogbolahan, should be hanged by the neck until you’re pronounced dead,” the judge pronounced.

In the 165 pages judgement, which was delivered for four hours, the court also sentenced the 4th and 5th suspects to three years imprisonment for the offence of theft.

Earlier, the court discharged and acquitted the 6th, 7th, and 8th suspects, Abdullateef Abdulrahman, Daud Aderayo, and Akande Oladoja, on the basis that they were not found guilty of any charges against them.

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According to the judge, the lifeless body of the deceased was found in the afternoon with bruises all over her body, her hands tied to the back, and a towel covering her face.

Justice Yusuf added that the conventional statement which could be relied upon on the basis of law, revealed that the deceased struggled with the killers until she was pushed and fell, while the 1st and 3rd convicts held her down for the 2nd convict to perpetrate the henieus crime of rape.

He said the deceased was raped till death on June 2, 2021, at her guardian’s residence in Tanke area of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, and a piece of paper was dropped on her chest with message which read, ‘No forgiveness for Unilorin student’.

Justice Yusus stated that Ismail, Oluwatimileyin, and Omogbolahan conspired among themselves to rob the deceased of her Samsung Galaxy A2 Core handset, one black Acer Aspire laptop, and one Samsung drive, among several other items.

The killers were tried on 11-count charge bordering on murder, rape, armed robbery, and illegal possession of firearms, among others.

The Star