A 30-year-old hotel worker, Jeffrey Ehizojie, has been sentenced to death by hanging by the Ikeja High Court in Lagos for the double strangulation of his employer, Olusola Olusoga, and the hotel manager, Tunji Omikunle.
In delivering the judgment on July 11, 2023, Justice Oyindamola Ogala concluded that the prosecution had successfully proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Ehizojie was found guilty of beating and strangling the Managing Director of Etsahol Hotel and Suites located in Ojodu-Berger, Lagos.
The prosecution's case was primarily based on the convict's confessional statement and circumstantial evidence, as stated by Mrs. Ogala.
The court carefully considered the retracted defense statement, which revealed that Ehizojie claimed to have been informed by a fellow hotel staff member, Henry, about the significant amount of money kept by the hotel owner.
Mrs. Ogala highlighted the importance of the confessional statement as compelling evidence for conviction, especially when provided voluntarily.
She found it perplexing that Ehizojie, who had knowledge of the hotel's affairs, expressed shock when informed of the deaths of his boss and the manager upon his arrest in Port Harcourt.
The judge noted that there was no doubt about the defendant's presence at the crime scene, as confirmed by his own testimony and exhibits presented in court.
The court carefully evaluated the defendant's account of leaving the hotel premises on January 25, 2019, his failure to return afterward, and his failure to report to the police station. The circumstantial evidence overwhelmingly pointed to Ehizojie's guilt.
Mrs. Ogala stated that the court believed the defendant had indeed written the confessional statement, and his attempt to retract it was a feeble effort to exonerate himself from the commission of the crime.
After considering the facts of the case, the court found Jeffrey Ehizojie guilty of the two-count charge and sentenced him to be hanged by the neck until death.
The state prosecution argued that Ehizojie, along with others who remain at large, used a rope to strangle Olusoga, a UK returnee, and beat her. They also alleged that the convict strangled and beat Omikunle to death.
Four witnesses, including hotel staff members David Nkwor, ASP Chris Akpanomo, ASP Malik Aliyu, and Harrison Bruce, testified against the defendant.
The offense committed by Ehizojie contravened the provisions of Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
Comments
Post a Comment