Ondo state pastor sentenced to death by hanging

A pastor, Kolawole Samson has been sentenced to death by hanging for committing murder.

The death sentence was pronounced on the Pastor by a High Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

Pastor Samson was accused of killing one middle-aged man, Ayo Olaniyi, on a farm settlement within Oke-Igbo axis in Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo Local Government Area of the state.

According to the trial judge, Justice Ademola Bola, Pastor Samson was guilty of the death of Olaniyi after inflicting injury on the deceased’s head with a cutlass at Gberinlegi village in 2016.

The injury sustained during the encounter was said to have led to the death of Olaniyi at the hospital.

Earlier, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, represented by two government’s lawyers, Mr Olusegun Akeredolu and Mrs Omotola Ologun, had told the court that the pastor on March 3, 2016, inflicted deep cut injury on the head of late Ayo Olaniyi when he went to hunt for frogs with his three other friends at a fishpond owned by the convict at the village, near Okeigbo.

The lawyers argued that the offence was contrary to Section 316 and punishable under Section 319 of the Criminal Code, Cap 37, Laws of Ondo State (2006).

The accused person had claimed he was not guilty of the offence but in his judgement delivered yesterday, Justice Ademola Bola, ruled that all evidences adduced before the court during the trial in the last four years, showed that Pastor Kolawole was guilty of killing Olaniyi.

The judge held that Samson Kolawole should die by hanging.