An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has sentenced a 41-year-old man, Olasunkanmi Kareem, to life imprisonment for attempting to murder his former boss by setting him ablaze.

Kareem was arraigned on November 18, 2024, on a one-count charge of attempted murder, contrary to Section 241 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.

According to the charge sheet, ?The defendant, on August 11, 2024, at Ifaki Ekiti, attempted to murder one Omoboriwo Bashiru by setting him ablaze.?

Narrating his ordeal before the court, the victim said, ?The defendant was once my apprentice at my mechanic workshop. Even after he graduated, I continued to assist him whenever he had issues with customers? cars.

?On that day, he called me around 8pm, asking about a carburetor I had helped him repair. When I told him I didn?t see it, he became abusive and threatened to set me ablaze wherever he found me. I thought he was joking. Later, I called him, and he told me where he was.

?We met at a vulcanizer?s workshop, and an argument ensued. Unknown to me, he had a gallon of petrol in his hand. Since it was dark, I didn?t see it until he poured it on me. When I realized it was petrol, I tried to run, but my body was already on fire. I fell into a drainage before some passersby rescued me and put out the fire. I suffered severe burns and was rushed to the hospital,? Bashiru recounted.

The prosecution, led by Kunle-Shina Adeyemo, presented four witnesses and tendered Kareem?s statements, pictures of the victim, and a medical report as evidence.

The defendant testified in his own defense but did not call any witnesses.

Delivering judgment, Justice Jibril Aladejana held that Kareem had lured the victim to a location, ambushed him behind an electric pole, and doused him with petrol before setting him on fire.

?The facts before the court show that the defendant deliberately set out to harm the victim. But for the intervention of passersby, the victim would have died. This intentional act of causing grievous bodily harm amounts to attempted murder,? the judge ruled.

?In my view, the defendant does not deserve leniency. He should face the full wrath of the law,? Aladejana added before sentencing Kareem to life imprisonment. (The PUNCH)

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