A State High Court sitting in Ikire, Osun State has convicted Philip Segun, a prophet at Cherubim and Cherubim Church, Solution Chapel, Ikoyi-Ile, and Owolabi Adeeko, for the gruesome murder of Lagos State University final year student, Favour Daley-Oladele.
It was learnt that Prophet Philip Segun and Owolabi Adeeko were sentenced to death by hanging for murder and 14 years imprisonment for conspiracy, Nigerian Tribune reports.
Justice Christiana Obadina who presides over the matter also convicted Owolabi’s mother, Bola, for her involvement in the incident, which involved the consumption of human flesh.
Owolabi had lured Favour from Lagos to Ikire under the pretence of visiting his uncle, while he, his mother, and Prophet Segun had planned to use her for a money ritual, açcording to Tribune.
Owolabi was said to have struck the victim on the head with a pestle and killed her on the church premises.
According to the report, her organs were used for ritual purposes, and her remains were buried in a shallow grave outside the church on December 8, 2019.
However, following their arrest, the suspects confessed to the crime, leading to the exhumation of Favour’s body by the police a few weeks later.
During the trial when the defendants were first arraigned before the court on November 15, 2021, on charges of conspiracy and murder. The prosecution team from the Ministry of Justice, led by Mrs Adekemi Bello, presented nine witnesses, including the police investigating officer, and submitted several exhibits. The defendants testified in their defence but did not call any additional witnesses.
Justice Obadina in her judgement, determined that the prosecution had proven the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Prophet Philip Segun and Owolabi Adeeko were found guilty of murder and conspiracy, while Bola Adeeko was convicted for the consumption of human flesh, which is contrary to the law.
During the allocutor plea, the defence counsel, Adeshina Olaniyan, pleaded for leniency from the court.
Meanwhile, the presiding judge sentenced Prophet Philip Segun and Owolabi Adeeko to death by hanging for murder and 14 years imprisonment for conspiracy. While Bola Adeeko, Owolabi’s mother, was sentenced to two years imprisonment for the consumption of human flesh.