24-Year-Old Man Attempts Suicide After He Was Sentenced To Life Imprisonment In Ekiti

Ajewole Dada Fulani, a 24-year-old man who was arraigned before an Ekiti State High Court, sitting in Ado Ekiti, over charges of robbery, kidnap and rape, reportedly attempted suicide after he was served the judge’s life imprisonment verdict.

It was gathered that the suspect reportedly robbed, kidnapped and raped two female students of the College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti on 7th November, 2015 along Ikere-Igbara Odo Road. He was conveying the two College students in his commercial vehicle, but diverted the vehicle to the nearby bush, tied them to a tree and raped them one after the other.

However after he escaped from the scene of the incident, the victims later reported the incident at the Ikere Main Police Station along College Road.

He appeared for the first time at the High Court on 16th November, 2016. In his last arraignment on Friday, to prove the case, the DPP, Mr. Gbemiga Adaramola, called four witnesses and tendered exhibits which included the accused’s statement and a vehicle with registration number EMR 218 XA. The accused called two witnesses to support his denial of the offence. Justice Adeyeye after listening to the oral argument of Adaramola and defence counsel, Mr. Sunday Ochayi ruled that;

“The prosecution has not proved the essential ingredients of the offence of robbery against the accused.

“In conclusion and for the avoidance of doubt, the accused was found guilty of the offences of kidnapping and rape as charged in Counts 1, 2 and 3 and he is accordingly convicted to life imprisonment.”

The Leadership reported that after the verdict was handed down and the judgment interpreted to him by the court registrar, the convict became restless and emotional and thereafter smashed the court window and stabbed himself with a broken louvers and attempted to stab other people inside the courtroom.

It took the intervention of security personnel who grabbed the convict from injuring people inside the court as he was subsequently handcuffed and bundled into a waiting Black Maria. Court workers, litigants and other observers were taken by surprise by his action.