Adebayo Adenrele
An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has convicted and sentenced three men to seven years imprisonment for conspiracy and attempted murder over their involvement in a violent attack that occurred in December 2024.
The convicts, Jimoh Falade, Egunlae Ademola and Oluwafemi Ajayi, were tried before Justice O.I.O. Ogunyemi on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, attempted murder and threatening violence.
Delivering judgment in Charge No. HAD/09C/2025, Justice Ogunyemi found the three defendants guilty on the counts of conspiracy and attempted murder but struck out the charge of threatening violence after holding that the prosecution failed to establish the offence with credible evidence.
The defendants had been arraigned by the Ekiti State Government on charges of conspiracy contrary to Section 421 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021, attempted murder under the same law, and threatening violence contrary to Section 46 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.
During the trial, the prosecution, led by Kunle Sina Adeyemo, called four witnesses to prove its case, while the defendants testified in their own defence without calling additional witnesses.
In his judgment, Justice Ogunyemi held that the prosecution successfully proved the offences of conspiracy and attempted murder against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.
He subsequently convicted all three defendants on Count One (conspiracy) and Count Two (attempted murder), while Count Three, bordering on threatening violence, was struck out for lack of sufficient evidence.
For the offence of conspiracy, each of the three convicts was sentenced to two years imprisonment, with an option of a ₦200,000 fine.
On the count of attempted murder, each defendant was sentenced to five years imprisonment with an option of a ₦500,000 fine.
The court further ordered that the prison terms should run consecutively.
