Court Sentences Three Artisans to Death for Mechanic’s Murder

Death Penalty for Three Artisans in Kwara Mechanic Case

​A Kwara State High Court in Ilorin has sentenced three artisans—Isiaka Jimoh, Lekan Ahmed, and Adebayo Saheed—to death by hanging for the murder of their colleague, Saheed Lawal, in Offa Local Government Area.

The incident occurred on November 5, 2020, at a mechanic workshop near Government Day Secondary School in Amuyo, Offa. The convicts accused Lawal of stealing motor oil and subsequently tortured him until he lost consciousness. Dr. O. M. Abdulsalam, Chief Medical Director of the State General Hospital in Offa, testified that Lawal was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

Justice Adebayo Yusuf, presiding over the case, found the evidence presented by the prosecution credible and established the defendants’ culpability beyond reasonable doubt. Consequently, he sentenced each to death by hanging, stating, “They are to die by hanging until they take their last breath. May God have mercy on them.”

The court also heard that the convicts attempted to harm another artisan, Hamzat Ibrahim, by pouring hot red pepper into his ears at the same workshop. This case underscores the severe legal consequences of taking the law into one’s own hands and highlights the judiciary’s role in addressing such acts of violence.​