How Late Oba’s Son Paid Assassin To Murder Alhaja Sikirat Ekun

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

Seven years after he was paraded for killing his boss, facts has finally confirmed how the son of late Oba of  Lagos, Prince Adewale Oyekan, conspired and paid assassins the sum of N6,000 to kill a 62-year old business woman, Alhaja Sikirat Ekun, in cold blood in Lagos.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that Prince Adewale contracted one Balogun, who strangled the late Ekun and dumped her corpse inside a 1000 feet well located in her residence.

However, the dastardly act leaked and Adewale was arrested and charged for murder seven years ago where he faced trial.
He has finally been sentenced to death by an Ikeja High Court for the murder of late Alhaja Sikirat Ekun, a businesswoman cum politician.

This was the ruling of the trial judge, Justice Raliatu Adebiyi, in a two-hour long judgement.

Adewale, is the son of Oba Oyekan, the Oba of Lagos who died on March 1, 2003.
The convicts had been in custody over the murder before the trial was concluded and judgement given by the Court.
While convicting and sentencing the defendants, Justice Adebiyi said that the prosecution had proved the charges of conspiracy to commit murder and murder beyond reasonable doubt.

Her words: “The circumstantial evidence was strong and cogent, the act of the defendants in killing the deceased was intentional and premeditated”.
“The Court finds that the prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt the offence of conspiracy and murder and are accordingly found guilty of the two-count charge.”
“Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011 stipulates the punishment for the offence of murder as follows. Subject to the provisions of any other law, a person who commits the offence of murder shall be sentenced to death.”
“Same is the punishment for conspiracy to commit murder as contained in Section 231 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.”
“The above cited provisions of the law does not give the Court any discretion whatsoever in sentencing the defendants.”
“For this reason the first and second defendants are hereby sentenced accordingly on each of count one and two to death by hanging. May God the giver of life have mercy on your soul.”

According to the State prosecution led by Mr. Akin George, the convicts committed the offences at 1:00 am on October 17, 2012 at the home of the deceased located at No. 5, Babatunde Lalega Street, Omole Phase One, Lagos.
The prosecution stated that the deceased was a restauranteur, who knew Oyekan due to her friendship with his late mother. Due to the affinity between the women, Ekun employed the Prince as the manager of her restaurant.
“Balogun the second defendant, was a former domestic staff of Ekun, who was employed by her to take care of her elderly father. His employment was however, terminated following a dispute with Ekun.”
“The convicts conspired, killed the deceased and threw her corpse into a well within the premises of her home and took over her businesses and properties including her bus which was sold for 170,000 Naira.”
“When enquiry was made by family and friends about her whereabouts, Oyekan informed them that she had travelled to Abuja for the Ileya (Id el Kabir) festival. He passed this information by sending a text message from Ekun’s mobile phone.”
“Following panic and worry from members of Ekun’s family and after an extensive search, her corpse was found two months later in December, 2012, by well diggers and fire fighters.”
“The convicts had placed a generator, a gas cylinder and other household items on the corpse to conceal it in the 1,000 feet well,” he said.
The trial at the High Court started on April 14, 2015, five witnesses including Police officers, Mr. Iyiola Olaniyi, the nephew of the deceased and Mrs. Folashade Amurun, the only child of the deceased gave evidence on behalf of the prosecution.
The convicts also testified in their defence where both denied knowing each other noting that they met for the first time at the Police station. They further denied committing the offence.
Oyekan, in his evidence, said that he met Ekun, who was a friend of his mother, at a PDP rally in 2011 after he had returned from the United States of America after obtaining a degree in Architecture.
Adewale said he met the deceased thereafter at her home, where she offered to assist him by employing him to manage her restaurant.
Earlier in the trial, before the sentence was passed, Mr. O. C Onwumerie, the defence counsel, did not plead on their behalf.
“I will be leaving sentencing to the hands of the Court,” Onwumerie said.