An Osun State High Court, sitting in Iwo, has sentenced an Islamic cleric, Kabiru Ibrahim, to death by hanging for the murder of his client, Lukman Adeleke.

Ibrahim was charged with conspiracy, murder, and theft, contrary to Sections 324, 319(1), and 390 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 34, Laws of Osun State.

Justice Lateef Adegoke, delivering judgment, held that the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt and sentenced Ibrahim to death by hanging for murder.

A statement from the Information Officer of the Ministry of Justice, Opeyemi Bello, obtained in Osogbo on Wednesday, said the prosecution team, led by Abiodun Badiora, told the court that Ibrahim was a spiritual consultant to the deceased.

Badiora explained that the deceased had approached the cleric, revealing his intention to purchase a parcel of land, and Ibrahim asked him to bring the money for an overnight prayer before paying the vendor.

However, after the prayers, Adeleke went missing. During the search, his family was informed by an informant that he was last seen the day he visited Ibrahim’s residence.

“When the family confronted the cleric, he initially denied seeing the deceased for over two weeks. However, a community member refuted his claim, stating he had taken Adeleke to the cleric’s house the day before his disappearance.

“The matter was reported to the police, and during interrogation, Ibrahim confessed to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) that he had murdered the deceased. He led authorities to the Ilesa/Akure expressway, where Adeleke’s remains were found inside a sack. One of his palms had been severed. Photographic evidence was tendered in court.

“The prosecution called six witnesses and presented several exhibits, including Ibrahim’s extrajudicial confession. It was also revealed that Ibrahim had stolen ?300,000 from the deceased on August 24, 2016,” the statement read.

The statement further said that the defendant’s counsel (name withheld) did not respond to the prosecution’s final written address.

In his judgment, Justice Adegoke found Ibrahim guilty of both murder and theft and sentenced him to seven years imprisonment for stealing and death by hanging for murder. (The PUNCH)