₦airaland Forum

Ondo Court Sentences Man to Death by Hanging for Killing Roommate Over Door Dispute

An Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure has sentenced a middle-aged man, Sunday Omoniyi, to death by hanging for the murder of his roommate, Michael Oyebanji, during a heated argument over the closing of a door.

The tragic incident occurred on July 23, 2022, at around 6:30 a.m. at 4, Canaanland, Ijoka Road, Akure. The case has now reached a grim conclusion, with Justice W.R. Olamide ruling that the prosecution had successfully proven the charge of murder beyond reasonable doubt. Eyes Of Lagos reports,

Background of the Case
Omoniyi was arraigned on a one-count charge of murder, contrary to Section 316 and punishable under Section 319 of the Criminal Code, Cap 37, Vol. 1, Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria 2006.

According to court testimony, the disagreement began in the early hours of the morning when Omoniyi and Oyebanji argued over whether the room door should be kept open or closed. Though the quarrel was reportedly settled at first, events quickly escalated after their co-occupants left the room.

Eyewitness Testimonies
One of the prosecution witnesses, Ismaila Adefaka, a landlord and co-tenant, told the court that he heard loud noises from the apartment and went to investigate. Upon entering the room, he found Oyebanji lying in a pool of blood with a stab wound to the chest. The weapon — a bloodstained knife — was allegedly in Omoniyi’s hand.

Adefaka explained that he immediately reported the matter to the police after Oyebanji was confirmed dead at the hospital.

Three other witnesses — Adedeji Gift, Adedugbe Opeyemi, and Aremu Opeyemi — also testified, recounting that they initially intervened to resolve the dispute between the two men over the door but left after believing the matter was settled. Moments later, they heard Oyebanji’s cries and rushed back to find him fatally injured.

According to Adedugbe Opeyemi, Omoniyi admitted on the spot that he stabbed Oyebanji in retaliation after the deceased allegedly punched him during their renewed altercation.

Police Investigation and Confession
Police prosecutor, Inspector Fisayo Oladepo, told the court that during interrogation, Omoniyi confessed in a written statement to stabbing Oyebanji. The prosecution argued that the act was intentional and carried out with the intent to cause grievous harm or death.

The police report and medical evidence confirmed that the fatal wound was inflicted on Oyebanji’s chest, causing massive blood loss and leading to his death.

Court’s Decision
In delivering his judgment, Justice W.R. Olamide stated that the evidence presented by the prosecution was overwhelming and credible. He noted that the testimonies of the eyewitnesses, the defendant’s confession, and the forensic evidence all corroborated each other.

“The prosecution has successfully established the offence of murder against the defendant. The court hereby sentences Sunday Omoniyi to death by hanging,” Justice Olamide declared.

Legal Implications
Under Nigerian law, murder convictions carry the death penalty, typically by hanging. This ruling serves as a stark reminder of the legal consequences of violent disputes and the irreversible nature of fatal confrontations.

Bottom Line:
A simple argument over a door ended in a fatal stabbing, leading to a death sentence. The case highlights how minor disagreements can spiral into irreversible tragedies, and why conflict resolution is critical in shared living situations.

muyico:
well judge! murder must not live

we need evidence of excustion

richiemcgold:
The deceased punched him and he retaliated by stabbing him with a knife. That's a big error there. He should have just punched him back. Man to man, blow to blow, last last they will settle it.

casualobserver:
Correct me if I am wrong but no governor has signed the death warrant of any person sentenced to death since the return of democracy.

I miss the good old days when armed robbers etc were executed at bar beach!

muyico:
well judge! murder must not live
we need evidence of excustion

casualobserver:
Correct me if I am wrong but no governor has signed the death warrant of any person sentenced to death since the return of democracy.

I miss the good old days when armed robbers etc were executed at bar beach!

casualobserver:
Correct me if I am wrong but no governor has signed the death warrant of any person sentenced to death since the return of democracy.

I miss the good old days when armed robbers etc were executed at bar beach!

torqque7:
Punched him back you say??hmm be careful o,make you sef no go make this kind irreversible mistake. What if you punch him and he falls and dies?I have seen such cases o,just one punch the guy kpuff o just like that like play..Omoh it's always better to just avoid any physical confrontation o no matter how angry one is.


Some days ago a bike man parked in front of me,I horned for the fool to move make I comot Omoh the guy no gree o,and this was like around 8pm,na so I reverse and as i was going this same guy hit my car with his hand o..I was so so mad and stopped but my woman beside me was saying I should just ignore him..bro I was so so pissed but I just thought to my self what do you want to do?you wan go exchange blows with bike man or what?delay yourself and your movement?or it could even get worse and someone could get seriously hurt..

I just remembered i had more to loose than the idiot, Omoh na so i just drive go o..Ego puts alot of us men in unnecessary problems.See the girl in ibom air wahala now..all she went to do in lagos don spoil cos she dey kirikiri..imagine from plane to kirikiri cos of anger that could have just tolerated.

Babatundehy:
Bike men and taxi drivers do the most, your woman was right, ignore the fool who most likely has nothing to lose and looking for trouble. I was at a four road junction not long ago, the roads were tarred and had speed bumps, as i was about getting to the junction I honked to alert other road users, some bike man who wasn't riding with his mind had his eyes wide open but couldn't see anything, as he was about getting to me I honked again, this time he woke up from his sleep and lost control, rode into the gutter which had a transformer, injured himself.
Shop owners and other onlookers came out and helped him up, he got up with bruises and cuts and the next thing all but one of all the witnesses said was he's just a bike man, give him some money to treat himself at the hospital, I was shocked, these were elderly men and women, no brains in their heads obviously, only other man came and said i had no fault, they all ganged up on him and shit him up.
Few minutes later I handed the man 4,000 naira, all the cash I had on me, I said to myself what if this bike man had got electrocuted and died, what would this useless elderly people say, I decided to go back home and not proceed with my travel, as i was about making a turn, I saw a team of bike men, this bike man had gone to call his friends, they demanded more money saying what I gave could do nothing, of course, the onlookers had emboldened him, it was at that point i grabbed my phone and called a police officer who was stationed nearby, this bike man walked up to me gave me a punch and snatched my phone.
It took a lot of self control to not beat up this bike man, he stood no chance against me, a limping bike man who was obviously not feeding well, I had my farm machete in my trunk to use on others, but i just said to myself, devil not today, the police van approached and they disappeared, it is always good to have self control, few weeks later, i found the bike man, found the stop he uses and then I got him arrested for assault, there are ways to deal with crazy people, but it is most often not immediately, find them, and decide to use either legal means or tje street way, I got my dash cam a week later, Nigerians hate car owners, especially if you're a young man.

casualobserver:
Correct me if I am wrong but no governor has signed the death warrant of any person sentenced to death since the return of democracy.

I miss the good old days when armed robbers etc were executed at bar beach!

Efuaye:
Who will sign his execution eventually?
He should have been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Softmirror:
Death by hanging comes with a smile to the guilty as charged because the sentence is hardly signed by Governors to be executed.