Ikeja High Court Sentence Staff To D€ath By Hanging For K!lling Employer, Manager In Lagos

The Ikeja High Court of Lagos State has sentenced one man d£ath by hanging for k!lling employer and manager.

The 30-year-old Lagos hotel worker, identified as Jeffrey Ehizojie, to d£ath by hanging for strangling his employer, Olusola Olusoga and the hotel manager, Tunji Omikunle, to their early gr@ve in Lagos state.

Delivering the judgment on Tuesday, 11th of July, 2023, Justice Oyindamola Ogala, held that the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubts.

Mrs. Ogala found the culprit, Ehizojie guilty of beating and strangling the Managing Director of Etsahol Hotel and Suites located at Ojodu-Berger, Lagos State. 

The judge revealed that the crux of the case of the prosecution was premised on the confessional statement of the convict as well as circumstantial evidence.

According to Mrs Ogala, the Ikeja High court had carefully considered the retracted defence statement, (which was admitted as evidence) which showed where Ehizojie stated that one of the hotel staff, Henry, had informed him that he observed that the owner of the hotel kept much money at home.

Mrs Ogala said:

“the defendant, in his confessional statement  said that Olusoga treated her workers badly so they planned to tie her and collect her money.

“Confessional statement is the best evidence to ground conviction and as held in several cases, it can be relied upon solely where voluntary.

“It is curious that the defendant who was privy to the state of affairs in the hotel told  the court that he was shocked when the police informed him of the death of his boss and the manager when he was arrested at Port Harcourt.

“There is no doubt that the defendant was present at the premises of the scene of crime as confirmed by him in his evidence in chief and exhibits before the court,”

The judge held that the court had carefully considered the evidence of the defendant, particularly his account of how he left the hotel premises on 25th of January, 2019 and his incredible story as to why he did not return to the hotel after the incident nor report at the police station.

She held that the convict had no clear explanation why fled to Port Harcourt, the capital city of Rivers state the next day until his arrest.