Man sentenced to death for killing his 89-year-old boss

On Monday, March 27, 2023, the Ikeja High Court sentenced a domestic staff, Joseph Ogbu, to death by hanging for killing his 89-year-old boss, Ajoke John, and her daughter, Oreoluwa John, 38, in Lagos.

The victims were brutally murdered at their Surulere home on June 19, 2019, 24 hours after the convict was hired. He is from the Oju Local Govt Area of Benue State.

According to Justice Modupe Nicole-Clay, the three-count charge against the defendant involving an armed robbery and murder was found to have been sufficiently proven by the prosecution,

According to her, the defendant admitted to committing the crime because he acknowledged living with the deceased and was the only eyewitness to the incident.

“He killedAdejoke by strangling her and Oreoluwa by stabbing her to d£ath. As the defence did not raise an objection to the admissibility of the confessional statement, there is no doubt that the defendant confessed to the crimes. I have considered the evidence of the security guard, an Okada man, one Yahya Ibrahim, the house help and a police Inspector.

“The court is satisfied with the total evidence to establish the guilt of the defendant. This court has found Joseph Ogbu guilty of these heinous crimes, and you are hereby sentenced to death by hanging. May God have mercy on your soul,”

However, the convict, pleaded for mercy. The defence counsel, Moses Enema, in his allocutus, prayed the court to have mercy on the convict. However, the state counsel, Olarewaju Daud, urged the court to convict the defendant as charged.