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 Enugu State Police Command has ordered an investigation into two separate incidents of alleged disruption of political gatherings in Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state.
The incidents reportedly occurred on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Ndiuno-Obuoffia community and St. Joseph Primary School, Agbani.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, said the Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to thoroughly investigate the incidents and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
According to the statement, armed hoodlums allegedly disrupted a National Democratic Congress (NDC) ward meeting at Ndiuno-Obuoffia with sporadic gunshots, leaving two attendees injured.
In a separate incident at St. Joseph Primary School, Agbani, hoodlums allegedly destroyed canopies and chairs arranged for a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rally.
The police said operatives were promptly deployed to both locations after receiving reports of the incidents to prevent further breaches of peace and track down the fleeing suspects.
The Command, however, noted that neither of the political gatherings had been formally brought to the attention of the police for security coverage.
CP Giwa reiterated his warning that all political activities in the state must be conducted peacefully and in accordance with the law.
He stressed that electoral offences are punishable under the law and warned political parties, candidates, supporters and other stakeholders against violence, intimidation, destruction of property and other acts capable of disrupting public peace or the electoral process.
The Commissioner urged political parties and other stakeholders to notify the police ahead of campaigns, meetings, rallies and other political gatherings to enable the Command to make adequate security arrangements.
He assured residents that the police would continue to maintain a peaceful and secure environment for lawful political activities while dealing decisively with anyone found violating the law.
The Sokoto State Police Command has confirmed the death of a man who was allegedly stabbed by a suspected attacker after Friday prayers in Sokoto.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Rufa’i Ahmad, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday that the deceased was among those involved in the incident that followed the stabbing of prominent Islamic cleric, Malam Musa Lukuwa.
According to Ahmad, the suspect used a knife to stab Lukuwa in the stomach immediately after the Jumu’at congregation.
He said the suspect was subsequently killed by a mob, while Lukuwa was rushed to Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), where he is receiving treatment.
The PPRO added that no arrest had been made in connection with the incident, saying the situation was under control and urging residents to remain calm and law-abiding.
The incident reportedly followed allegations that Lukuwa made remarks considered blasphemous against Prophet Muhammad, which had generated anger among some Muslim faithful.
A Sokoto-based gangster, Dahiru Maibarewa, had also reportedly threatened to kill Lukuwa over the alleged remarks, while demonstrations had taken place in parts of Sokoto metropolis.
NAN further reported that a coalition of Islamic groups had petitioned the Sokoto State Government and security agencies, calling for action against Lukuwa over remarks they described as capable of provoking violence.
At a September 4 press conference, Islamic cleric Sheikh Abubakar Yagawal urged Muslims to oppose what he described as blasphemous content by clerics, while calling for peaceful coexistence.
Yagawal, Leader of the National Sufi Council of Nigeria and a National Commissioner at the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), said Lukuwa’s alleged utterances were unbecoming and capable of triggering violence among Muslim communities.
He said the coalition had called on the Federal and Sokoto State governments, as well as security agencies, to investigate and take appropriate action over the matter.
The Nigeria Police Force has allegedly arrested the General Manager of JKD Television/Hamada Radio Network, Kaduna, Charles Abah, and a security guard following a video produced by the station about Ibrahim Kabir Masari, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Political Affairs.
The station’s management, in a statement issued on Friday, alleged that police operatives invaded its premises while searching for a staff member, Zainab Salihu Yabagi, who presented the video explainer.
According to the management, the officers insisted on seeing Yabagi in connection with the video before arresting Abah and the security guard.
The two men were subsequently taken to the Kaduna State Police Command, the station alleged.
The management described the arrests as unacceptable and called for their immediate release.
Amnesty International Nigeria also condemned the incident, describing the alleged raid as an “unlawful and outrageous invasion” of the station’s premises.
The organisation alleged that Abah and the security guard were arbitrarily arrested, adding that police authorities had been seeking Yabagi over the video and had previously declared her wanted.
Amnesty International said the incident reflected a wider pattern of alleged attempts to intimidate newsrooms and create a climate of fear among journalists in Nigeria.
It maintained that public officials, regardless of their positions, should remain open to scrutiny and criticism in the public interest.
JKD TV/Hamada Radio Network is chaired by Yusuf Mamman, a former Nigerian ambassador to Spain and former spokesman for former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida.
A 20-year-old woman has recounted how a Nigerian man dragged her into a wooded area in Wrexham, Wales, and raped her after offering to escort her home from a night out.
The victim, whose identity has been withheld, said the attack occurred on September 7, 2025, after 24-year-old Gift Oladele approached her while she was walking home.
According to an account published by the Daily Mail on Wednesday, Oladele told the woman that he was heading in the same direction and offered to accompany her.
However, when they reached an isolated area, he allegedly grabbed her over the mouth and dragged her into the woods.
“He was a lot bigger than I was. I tried pushing him away, but he overpowered me,” the woman said.
She said Oladele covered her mouth and prevented her from calling for help before violently assaulting her.
The victim said she feared that she would be killed after Oladele allegedly asked if it was her first experience of rape.
“My brain just switched into survival mode. It was weird. It was either I do what he says and get home to my mum, or he is going to kill me,” she recalled.
She said the attacker struck her six times on the head and left bruises on her body.
According to her, after the assault, Oladele allegedly told her, “I think you’ve had enough now. At least you have been raped by someone good-looking.”
She also alleged that he threatened to track her down if she reported the incident and warned that he could take photographs of her and publish them online.
Despite the threats, the woman immediately told her parents what had happened after arriving home at about 3:30am, prompting her father to contact the police.
“I felt numb. I was hysterical. My brain couldn’t figure out what had just happened,” she said.
Oladele was arrested the following day at his cousin’s residence in Wrexham. Police reportedly discovered that he had attempted to conceal a mobile phone, which subsequently revealed internet searches relating to sexual attacks.
Oladele was sentenced at Caernarfon Crown Court in April to 17 years in prison after being convicted of rape and sexual assault. He was also given an extended licence period of eight years, bringing the total sentence to 25 years.
He had been convicted at Mold Crown Court in March after denying the offences and claiming that the victim had consented.
The court also imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order protecting the victim for life.
At the time of the Wrexham attack, Oladele was reportedly on bail over another rape allegation in Manchester dating back to November 2024. He had also previously been jailed in 2022 for a sexually motivated attack.
Oladele, a Nigerian citizen born in Italy, had previously challenged attempts by UK authorities to deport him to Nigeria on human rights grounds.
Following his earlier prison sentence, the authorities sought to deport him, but he argued that removal would violate his right to private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
An immigration tribunal subsequently ruled in his favour, holding that his deportation would be disproportionate. Two subsequent appeals by the Home Office were also rejected.
Reacting to the decision, the victim’s mother questioned why her daughter’s rights appeared not to have received similar consideration.
Wrexham Chief Inspector Caroline Mullen-Hurst described Oladele as “a dangerous predator” and commended the victim for her courage in reporting the attack.
She said Oladele showed no remorse for his crimes and forced the victim to relive the traumatic experience during the trial.
The victim said the assault had continued to affect her physical and emotional wellbeing, including making it difficult for her to eat.
She added that there were times when she cried uncontrollably and struggled with thoughts about continuing to live.
A suspected motorcycle thief has been beaten and burnt to death by a mob in Ikpe Ikot Akpan Village, along the Ikot Ekpene–Uyo Road in Akwa Ibom State.
The incident occurred at about 7:05 a.m. on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, after the man was allegedly caught attempting to steal a motorcycle belonging to a resident, identified as Idoroenyin Udo.
According to the police, the motorcycle owner resisted the alleged theft and raised an alarm, prompting residents to chase and apprehend the suspect.
Instead of handing him over to the police, however, the mob allegedly attacked him and subsequently set him ablaze. He suffered severe burns and died at the scene.
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has launched an investigation and deployed operatives to the area to identify and arrest those involved in the mob action.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, condemned the incident and warned residents against jungle justice.
He stressed that an accusation does not amount to guilt and urged residents to hand suspected criminals over to law enforcement agencies for proper investigation and prosecution.
The police said efforts are ongoing to apprehend everyone connected with the incident, adding that those found culpable will face the full weight of the law.
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