Ondo court sends apprentice to prison for killing master

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A Magistrate Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Wednesday, remanded a 20-year-old apprentice, Josiah Godwin at the Olokuta Correctional Centre over the killing of his master, Savior Joseph, and dumped his corpse in a well.

The accused was said to have perpetrated the crime at Imafon Community, in Akure South Local Government Area of the state.

The Police prosecutor, Inspector Folasade Adeyemi told the court that the suspect was charged with a two-count charge of conspiracy and murder, which contravene Sections 269 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37 Volume 1 Laws of Ondo State Nigeria, 2006.

The prosecutor prayed the court to remand the defendant at the Olokuta Correctional Centre pending the issuance of legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Counsel to the defendant, Friday Adeoye, did not object to the remand application issued by the prosecutor.

While ruling on the remand application, the Presiding Magistrate, Idowu Mayowa granted the application and adjourned the case till March 17, 2023, for legal advice.

It will be recalled that the accused, Godwin allegedly killed his master Joseph, who specializes in fixing POP asbestos, with the accused alleging his master of smashing his phone on the floor over the unsettled dispute.

While narrating the incident, to Journalists, the elder brother of the deceased, Odey Julius Ogbaji said the 27-year-old deceased body was found four days later in a well at the site where the deceased and the apprentice went to work at Imafon Community.

His words: “Last week Tuesday, the deceased called me in the morning where we spoke but on Wednesday, I tried his number but couldn’t get through, I thought he had a flat battery, until Saturday when I was called by another younger brother of mine which the deceased followed briefing me on the how efforts to reach the deceased has been abortive.

“Afterwards, the deceased apprentice was contacted. When they got the boy, they asked him about the whereabouts of his master and he said his boss woke him up at night, collected his phone smatch it on the floor and began to beat him and later asked him to sleep.

“He said, the following day, he decided to leave the site. So, we asked him, how will he wake up in the morning without seeing his boss and you left the site. He said he thought his master went to the toilet when he left.

“When we checked the phone he said it had been smashed on the floor by the deceased, there was no scratch on it. Aside from that, you switched off your phone and you didn’t report to anybody”, he explained.

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