Reported by: Ijeoma .G | Edited by: Henry Owen
An Osun State High Court sitting in Ile-Ife has sentenced a 30-year-old man, Taiwo Agboola, to death by hanging for the murder of a 62-year-old woman identified as Mrs Jadesola Olubayo.
Justice Adedapo Adeniji delivered the judgment on Friday, May 22, 2026, after finding Agboola guilty of murder following a trial that lasted several months.
The court heard that the incident occurred on October 11, 2023, at a palm oil processing site located near the Amula River in Olokemeji Village, Ifetedo, in Ife South Local Government Area of Osun State.
According to the prosecution, Mrs Olubayo had gone to the palm oil processing factory with her granddaughter, Latifat Adeyemo, on the day of the attack. The prosecution team from the Osun State Ministry of Justice, led by Ajibola Alade and Omotayo Babalola, told the court that the women were carrying out palm oil processing activities when the defendant suddenly appeared at the site.
During testimony before the court, Adeyemo said Agboola allegedly stripped himself naked on arrival at the processing site, causing panic and fear among the women present.
The witness further told the court that she and her grandmother attempted to flee the scene after becoming frightened, but the defendant reportedly chased after them and overpowered the elderly woman.
Adeyemo testified that she ran to seek help from the owner of the processing site, identified as Ajide Bashiru, who had earlier left for his nearby farm.
According to evidence presented before the court, when Adeyemo and Bashiru returned to the scene, they found Mrs Olubayo lying in a pool of blood after allegedly being attacked with a stone and stick. The prosecution stated that the victim’s face had been smashed during the assault, leading to her death at the scene.
Court proceedings also revealed that Agboola allegedly attempted to flee after the incident but was later apprehended near the scene of the crime and handed over to the police for investigation.
The defendant was subsequently arraigned before the court on November 7, 2024, on a three-count charge bordering on attempted rape, indecent assault on a female, and murder.
The prosecution argued that the offences contravened Sections 359, 360, and 319(1) of the Criminal Code Cap 34, Laws of Osun State, 2002.
During the trial, the prosecution called four witnesses to support its case against the defendant, while Agboola testified in his own defence without presenting additional witnesses.
Counsel to the defendant, Oluwaseun Akintola Philip-Idiok and Victoria Ugochi Layi-Jacob, urged the court to temper justice with mercy and pleaded for leniency during sentencing.
However, Justice Adeniji ruled that the prosecution had successfully established its case beyond reasonable doubt.
In his judgment, the judge pronounced Agboola guilty on all three counts and sentenced him to 14 years imprisonment for attempted rape, two years imprisonment for indecent assault, and death by hanging for the murder charge.
The ruling marked the conclusion of a criminal case that drew attention within Ife South Local Government Area and surrounding communities following the killing of the elderly woman at the rural processing site in 2023.
The judgment also adds to a series of recent murder convictions delivered by courts across Nigeria involving violent crimes against women and elderly victims. In a separate case earlier in 2026, another Osun State High Court sentenced three men to death over the killing of a 52-year-old woman in Ile-Ogbo.
Under Nigerian law, death sentences passed by state high courts remain subject to appeal processes before higher appellate courts, including the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. Execution of death sentences also requires the approval of the state governor after the exhaustion of legal appeals.
As of Friday evening, there was no immediate indication from the defence team on whether Agboola would appeal the judgment delivered by the Ile-Ife High Court.
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