Crime
Court Sentences Husband To 12 Years In Prison For Killing Wife
The Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Monday convicted and sentenced a man, Akinwale Akinlabi, to 12 years imprisonment for killing his wife.
It was learnt that the convict was initially arraigned on July 26, 2021, on a count of manslaughter before the presiding judge, Justice Oyindamola Ogala, to which he pleaded not guilty.
His charge sheet read, “Akinwale Akinlabi on or about February 2, 2020, at No 23 Adeogun Street, Ijaiye Ojokoro area of Lagos State, in the Ikeja Judicial Division unlawfully killed one Cecilia Tope Akinlabi.”
According to the prosecution counsel, the one count of manslaughter is an offence that contravenes Section 229 of the Criminal Law Ch. C17, Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State 2015.
PUNCH Metro gathered that during the trial which began on May 12, 2022, the prosecution’s first witness, identified as Inspector Jumai Adonduwa, testified that the deceased had reported her husband, the defendant, to the police for domestic violence before her death.
“The deceased on January 30, 2020, at about 11:40 pm, made a report against her husband, the defendant, at the station and stated that on that particular day at about 10:00 am, her husband demanded N100 from her to buy a recharge card and when she said she didn’t have any to give him, the defendant used a bunch of brooms to beat her in the presence of her son. She said she left home for peace to reign and thought that by the time she returned, all would be settled,” Adonduwa said.
He then told the court that the deceased returned at about 10:00 pm and the beatings continued.
“She said the radio in the room was too loud and when she tried reducing the volume, the defendant came in from nowhere and started beating her with fist blows all over her body. The defendant then pushed her and she fell on a glass shelf in their room.
“She said the glass broke and she sustained a serious injury with a deep cut and that her husband continued to beat her and it was her son that rescued her from the defendant and that the defendant threatened to beat her to death saying that his family has money for a court case,” Adonduwa stated.
The prosecution counsel further disclosed that the deceased’s brother came to the Ijaiye Police Station to inform them about his sister’s sudden death.
“On February 2, 2020, at about 6:30 pm, the brother to the deceased came to the police station to report that he was in Benin when he heard the sad news of his sister’s death and that he learnt that his sister had come to the station to report the case. He told the police that his sister had died as a result of beatings. The deceased’s brother stated that the defendant refused to inform them of the death of their sister and that the defendant took the corpse somewhere in Ogun State to bury it without the consent of her family,” he said.
Adonduwa further confirmed that the children reported their mother was purging blood and was rushed to the hospital where she slumped and later died.
The prosecution’s second witness, Sergeant Adeniyi Sola, testified that he was familiar with the defendant and remembered February 3, 2020, when the case was initially reported at the Ijaiye Police Station against the defendant. He stated that the case was later transferred to the SCID for further investigation. His testimony supported that of the prosecution’s first witness.
During cross-examination, Adeniyi confirmed that the first altercation occurred on January 31, 2020, and the second incident happened a day before the deceased’s death. He also assured the court that he conducted a thorough investigation into the case.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the defendant, testifying as the defence second witness on March 18, 2024, stated that he had been married to his wife for 21 years without any incident of violence. He revealed that January 29, 2020, was the first time the police intervened in their marital issues. The defendant also disclosed that his wife had a history of health episodes, including attacks and fainting. Furthermore, he confirmed that, to his knowledge, his late wife did not have any disagreement with anyone else apart from the January 29, 2020 incident.
Justice Ogala, in her judgment, stated that the prosecution had established beyond a reasonable doubt the single count of manslaughter against the defendant whose wife, Cecilia Tope Akinlabi, died on February 2, 2020. She held that there was consistency in the evidence of the prosecution witnesses as regards the facts leading to the fight between the defendant, his wife and the resultant injury.
The judge said, “After having carefully reviewed the evidence before the court, the evidence tendered and the position of the case law, the honourable court finds that the prosecution has provided circumstantial evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, the unlawful acts of the accused which harmed the deceased and caused her death.”
“The honourable court finds that it is clear from the evidence before it that the fatality arose from the violence (fight) that ensued between the defendant and his wife. It is also clear that the death was unintentional and that the deceased died shortly after the fight. The fact of vertical scars on the back of the deceased as stated in Exhibit (f) corroborates the evidence of the prosecution witnesses and situates the sustained injury.
“Prosecution has indeed established the ingredients of the offense of manslaughter that the defendant is charged with. He is therefore accordingly convicted of the same.”
He ruled that, After having heard and having considered the plea of the defence counsel, and also taking into consideration the peculiarity of this case, the defendant is accordingly sentenced to a term of 12 years. The period of his incarceration, from February 3, 2020, will also be taken into consideration.”
The United States has said Nigeria has yet to make sufficient progress in addressing attacks on Christian communities, warning that the country’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) should remain in place.
Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Frank Garcia, stated this while responding to questions from US Congressman Riley Moore during a congressional hearing on violence in Nigeria on Thursday.
Moore questioned the Nigerian government’s efforts to dismantle militia strongholds and kidnapping camps in the Middle Belt, particularly in Benue and Plateau states.
He also demanded explanations for the exclusion of Benue and Plateau from the 10 states covered by Nigeria’s new forest guard initiative, despite persistent attacks in the areas.
The congressman further expressed concern that 1,000 presidentially approved forest guards for Plateau State had yet to be deployed.
Moore maintained that the US should not remove Nigeria from the CPC list, arguing that the country had not done enough to address the violence.
“Before you answer that, we cannot take this CPC designation off of this country. They have not done enough,” he said.
Responding, Garcia acknowledged that Nigeria had not made sufficient progress but maintained that the government was taking steps to address the concerns, although the measures had yet to produce the desired results.
“I think we would agree, as Under Secretary Hooker stated, after our CPC meeting that progress has not been there, but that doesn’t mean that Nigeria is dismissing concerns, and it doesn’t mean that they’re not taking actions, but it does mean that it hasn’t had an impact to this point,” Garcia said.
He identified the establishment of the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group as an important step towards ensuring accountability, noting that the platform would provide a framework for monitoring Nigeria’s commitments and assessing their implementation.
Garcia also acknowledged US-supported counterterrorism operations in the Lake Chad Basin but noted that such efforts had not necessarily addressed the activities of Fulani militants operating across the Middle Belt.
“I would have to characterise the Nigerians’ placement at this point as in building capacity. And that capacity is not deployed, is not being effective yet, and is not moving fast enough, as far as I’m concerned. But we do see a seriousness, and a deployment underway with the Nigerian government,” he said.
In his prepared testimony, Garcia said President Donald Trump’s administration had prioritised the persecution of Christians in Nigeria since the country was redesignated a Country of Particular Concern on October 31, 2025.
He noted that attacks had continued despite diplomatic engagements, citing an attack on a Christian community in Kaduna State on July 27 and killings in Plateau State in August and September.
“Unfortunately, the violence has not stopped,” Garcia said, describing the attacks as an ongoing atrocity.
According to him, the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group, which held its inaugural meeting in Abuja in January and another meeting in Washington in August, had been engaging the Nigerian government on improved security deployments in vulnerable Middle Belt communities, faster responses to early warnings and accountability for perpetrators.
He added that Washington had provided training and equipment to police units responsible for protecting vulnerable communities through its Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
The US had also expanded biometric information-sharing with Nigeria to help identify and prosecute perpetrators and engaged Nigerian financial institutions on measures to disrupt terrorist financing networks allegedly funding attacks on churches.
Garcia further disclosed that US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker, had raised concerns about civilian casualties, the safe and voluntary return of internally displaced persons and transparency in humanitarian aid delivery during the Joint Working Group’s second meeting.
However, he acknowledged that Nigeria’s security architecture remained stretched, while judicial access to some parts of the Middle Belt remained limited.
Garcia said the US would continue to deploy diplomatic engagements, the CPC designation and targeted security cooperation to press for the protection of Christian communities and accountability for those responsible for attacks.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Federal Government has consistently rejected allegations of a Christian genocide or systematic religious persecution, maintaining that the country’s security challenges are driven by broader issues, including terrorism, banditry, communal violence and resource conflicts, which affect citizens of different religious backgrounds.
Couple Sentenced To Five Years In Prison Each For Attempting To Sell One-Year-Old So
A Nigerian couple have been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment each for attempting to sell their one-year-old son for exploitation in Cross River State.
The couple, identified as 28-year-old Emmanuel Okechukwu Ogbodo and 22-year-old Peace Ufeabuchi Nnamonu, were convicted by the Federal High Court in Calabar after pleading guilty to conspiracy and attempted child trafficking.
The convicts were sentenced on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, after they were arraigned on November 3, 2026, on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and attempted child trafficking.
The charges were brought under Sections 27 and 29 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
Delivering judgment, Justice Rosemary Dugbo Oghoghorie sentenced each defendant to five years’ imprisonment for conspiracy and two and a half years for attempted child trafficking.
However, the court ordered that the sentences should run concurrently, meaning the couple will each spend a total of five years in prison rather than serve the sentences consecutively.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), which announced the conviction in statements shared on its Facebook and X accounts, said the prison terms would take effect from the date of the couple’s arrest.
NAPTIP condemned the couple’s actions and reiterated its commitment to prosecuting human trafficking offences and protecting vulnerable persons, particularly children.
The agency also urged members of the public to report suspected cases of child trafficking to the appropriate authorities.
Six fresh graduates of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), have reportedly been found dead in an apartment around the Hilltop area of the university community in Enugu State.
The incident, which occurred on Thursday morning, has thrown the university community into mourning and sparked panic among residents and students.
According to a report by Daily Post, the victims, comprising five females and one male, were said to have graduated on Wednesday, a day before their bodies were discovered.
Their graduation celebration has reportedly turned into tragedy, with the circumstances surrounding their deaths yet to be established.
Efforts to reach the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, for confirmation were unsuccessful, as calls put through to his telephone were not answered.
Meanwhile, anxiety has gripped the Hilltop area and the wider university community, with students and residents seeking answers over the tragic incident.
As of the time of filing this report, the police had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
Security agencies have launched a manhunt for two convicted inmates who escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Okene, Kogi State.
The Nigerian Correctional Service confirmed the incident, which reportedly occurred on Sunday, November 8, 2026, saying efforts were underway in collaboration with other security agencies to recapture the fleeing inmates.
The Service’s Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Corrections Jane Osuji, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday.
According to Osuji, the Controller-General of Corrections has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the incident to establish the circumstances surrounding the escape and identify any possible security breaches.
She explained that the investigation would examine potential lapses in the facility’s security arrangements and determine appropriate measures to prevent a recurrence.
The correctional authorities assured members of the public that all necessary steps were being taken to track down the escapees and return them to custody.
The Service also pledged to provide further updates as verified information emerges from the ongoing investigation.
The incident comes weeks after an awaiting-trial inmate escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Auchi, Edo State, where he was being held over allegations of conspiracy and stealing.
Saudi Arabia has executed five Ethiopian nationals convicted of smuggling hashish into the kingdom, bringing the number of executions carried out in the country this year to 205.
The Saudi Interior Ministry announced the executions on Thursday, November 5, 2026, saying the five men were found guilty of participating in the smuggling of hashish into the country.
According to a statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency, the executions were carried out in the Asir region in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
The latest executions bring to 32 the number of Ethiopian nationals put to death in Saudi Arabia in 2026, making Ethiopians the largest foreign nationality among those executed this year.
Five Ethiopians were reportedly executed in June, while another five were put to death in July over similar drug-related offences.
The latest development comes amid growing international concern over Saudi Arabia’s increasing use of capital punishment, particularly against foreign nationals convicted of drug-related offences.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a report published in July, warned that at least 79 Ethiopian nationals remained at imminent risk of execution over similar charges.
The rights organisation also raised concerns about alleged violations of fair trial guarantees, including inadequate access to legal representation and interpretation services for some Ethiopian migrants facing capital punishment.
Saudi Arabia recorded 356 executions in 2025, its highest annual figure on record.
Thousands of Ethiopians live and work in Saudi Arabia, many of whom migrate in search of employment through the dangerous Eastern Route connecting the Horn of Africa to the oil-rich kingdom through Yemen.
The route exposes migrants to serious security and humanitarian risks during their journey.
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