Lagos Court Sentences Husband to 12 Years in Prison for Wife’s Murder
A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has convicted Akinwale Akinlabi and sentenced him to 12 years in prison for the killing of his wife.
Akinlabi was initially arraigned on July 26, 2021, on a one-count charge of manslaughter, to which he pleaded not guilty.
The charge stated that on February 2, 2020, at No. 23, Adeogun Street, Ijaiye Ojokoro, Lagos State, he unlawfully killed Cecilia Tope Akinlabi.
According to the prosecution, the charge of manslaughter contravenes Section 229 of the Criminal Law, Chapter C17, Volume 3, Laws of Lagos State 2015.
The judge determined that the prosecution had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Akinlabi committed manslaughter against his wife, who died on February 2, 2020.
Justice Oyindamola Ogala stated, “After carefully reviewing the evidence presented to the court, I find that the prosecution has provided circumstantial evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that the unlawful acts of the accused harmed the deceased and caused her death.”
The judge noted that the fatal incident stemmed from a fight between the defendant and his wife.
It was established that the death was unintentional and that the deceased died shortly after the altercation.
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Evidence presented indicated that the deceased had vertical scars on her back, which supported testimony from prosecution witnesses regarding her injuries.
The court sentenced Akinlabi for the offense of manslaughter after determining his guilt.
During the trial, which began on May 12, 2022, the prosecution’s first witness, Inspector Jumai Adonduwa, testified that Akinlabi’s wife had reported him to the police for domestic violence prior to her death.
Adonduwa stated that on January 30, 2020, at approximately 11:40 p.m., the deceased reported to the police that her husband had used a bunch of brooms to beat her after she refused to give him money to buy a recharge card. Following this incident, the deceased left their home for her safety, hoping that their issues would be resolved by the time she returned.
When she returned around 10:00 p.m., the beatings resumed.
The witness recounted that the radio in their room was too loud, and when the deceased attempted to turn down the volume, Akinlabi struck her repeatedly and subsequently pushed her, causing her to fall onto a glass shelf.
The glass shattered, resulting in a severe cut, after which Akinlabi continued to beat her. Their son intervened to rescue his mother, during which Akinlabi threatened to beat her to death, claiming his family had money for a court case.
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Adonduwa further testified that on February 2, 2020, around 6:30 p.m., the brother of the deceased came to the police station to report that he had learned about his sister’s death while he was in Benin.
He indicated that she had previously reported her husband to the police and that Akinlabi had concealed her death from their family, even burying her body in Ogun State without their consent.
The children’s accounts also revealed that their mother was bleeding and collapsed before being rushed to the hospital.
Akinlabi, who testified on March 18, 2024, stated that he had been married to Cecilia for 21 years and claimed that there had never been any violence in their marriage until the incident on January 29, 2020.
He asserted that his wife had been experiencing health issues, including attacks and fainting, and that he was unaware of any conflicts involving her.
In her judgment, Justice Ogala highlighted the consistency in the testimonies of prosecution witnesses regarding the events leading to the altercation and the resulting injuries sustained by the deceased.
She ruled that the prosecution had successfully established the elements of the manslaughter charge against Akinlabi, resulting in his conviction.
After considering the defense counsel’s plea and the unique circumstances of the case, Justice Ogala sentenced Akinlabi to 12 years in prison, accounting for the period of his incarceration beginning from February 3, 2020.
