Man bags life imprisonment over attempted murder

High Court sitting in Ekiti State at Ado Ekiti Division, has sentenced one Akinyemi Ojo, a 43-year-old man to life imprisonment over attempted murder on a woman in the farm.

Ojo was prosecuted before the court on January 25, 2023, on a one-count charge bordering on an attempt to murder.

The charge read, “That Akinyemi Ojo on December 5, 2022, in Aramoko Ekiti within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did attempt to murder one David Faith by macheting her. The offence is contrary to Section 241 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.”

The victim, in her testimony before the court, had said, “While I was on the farm, I saw the man holding a cutlass and coming ferociously towards where I was. I suspected his movement to be of evil agenda. I then took to my heels.

“He gave me a chase, but when I fell, he inflicted machete cuts all over my body until I became unconscious. When I regained consciousness, I crawled to the main road where some passersby took me to the General Hospital, Aramoko Ekiti. I do not know my offence or why he wanted to kill me,” she said.

Taiwo Ajibulu-Ariyo, the prosecutor, called five witnesses and tendered statements by the defendant and victims, cutlass and pictures of the victim as exhibits while the defendant spoke in his own defence through his lawyer and called no witnesses.

In the judgment, Justice Blessing Ajileye said, “In this instant case, I found that the defendant macheted the victim and the degree of injury inflicted on her was capable of causing her death, but for the intervening efforts of the passersby who saw her in the pool of blood.

The judge pronounced, “The defendant is hereby convicted as charged in line with Section 241 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State. He is accordingly sentenced to life imprisonment,”.