An Ogun State High Court on Friday sentenced three boys – Mustakeem Balogun, Soliudeen Majekodunmi, and Lukmon Abdulgafar – for the gruesome murder of a young lady, Sofia Okeowo, in January, 2022.
Daily Trust reports that videos that had gone viral in January 2022 when the convicts, were caught by community guards with Sofia’s head burning in a local burner as they recited incantations over her corpse.
Mustakeem was said to be Sofia’s boyfriend who played host to Sofia in his house, around Kugba Area of Abeokuta.
Mustakeem reportedly had sexual intercourse with Sofia, then 16 years old, and during the act, in a premeditated vicious attack, strangulated Sofia alongside Soliudeen, then beheaded her.
Mustakeem and Soliudeen were said to have cut parts of Sofia’s thighs and then stuffed her headless body into a sack.
The suspects were arrested by the police and later prosecuted by the State.
A statement by the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade, on Friday said the trio had been convicted of murder by a State High Court.
“Ogun State has won this case, and the convicts have been conclusively excluded from civilised society for the considerable future,” Ogungbade said.
He said applauded the prosecutors at the Ministry of Justice “who secure justice despite challenges.”
The Commissioner said “However, there are no victors in this story. The penchant for unmerited wealth is at an all-time high in our society while the customary checks – families, communities, and religious organisations – have lost the interest and efficacy to denounce immorality. This is why the young convicts, rather than chase skills or employment, resorted to money rituals, possibly encouraged by a society that elevates the ends of wealth above the means of getting rich.”
He called on the public to return to the traditional values of hard work, disdain for crime, and collective responsibility for instruction and correction.
“However, as today’s verdict shows, whether the society discharges this duty or not, the Ministry of Justice stands ready to hold offenders to account. We will continue to spare no expense and hold nothing back in our quest for justice,” he said.
