The Abeokuta High Court has declared a 24-year-old man, Monday Abbah, guilty of the murder of his colleague Mr. Rapheal Osugbe, and sentenced him to death by hanging. Abbah, who had pleaded not guilty, was convicted on a one-count charge of murder. The judgment was delivered by Justice O.O Stanley, who found Abbah culpable, stating that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The judge emphasized that no circumstance justified Abbah’s action of stabbing his victim with a knife during a physical fight, ultimately leading to Osugbe’s death.
The incident took place on February 13, 2017, at Lexis Plastic Company along the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, where both the defendant and the deceased were employees. The prosecution recounted the altercation, which occurred when a truck driven by Mr. Rapheal Osugbe was reversing to offload goods and mounted on some empty containers being arranged by the defendant. This led to a confrontation, during which Abbah stabbed Osugbe in the neck with a knife, causing fatal injuries.
The prosecution highlighted that the offense contravened the provisions of sections 316 and 319 of the Criminal Code, laws of Ogun 2006 (NAN). The judge, in delivering the sentence, remarked that anger was the underlying cause of the tragic incident and expressed hope that there would be a valuable lesson learned from the outcome.
Overall, the verdict delivered by the court brought a tragic and unfortunate conclusion to the case.
