Man gets death sentence for killing his employer, manager in Lagos

For the murders of Olusola Olusoga, his employer, and Tunji Omikunle, the hotel manager, an Ikeja High Court in Lagos sentenced Jeffrey Ehizojie, a hotel employee, to death by hanging.

Tuesday’s presiding judge, Oyindamola Ogala, declared that the prosecution’s case was beyond a reasonable doubt.

According to Ogala, Ehizojie beat and choked the proprietor and managing director of the Etsahol Hotel and Suites in Ojodu-Berger, Lagos.

Ehizojie was said to have also strangled Omikunle to death.

In her ruling, the presiding judge said the crux of the case was premised on the confessional statement of the convict and circumstantial evidence.

According to NAN, Ogala said the court considered the statement of the defense, wherein Ehizojie said one of the hotel staff, Henry, informed him that he observed that the owner of the hotel kept huge sums of money at home.

“The defendant, in his confessional statement said that Olusoga treated her workers badly, so they planned to tie her and collect her money,” he said.

“Confessional statement is the best evidence to ground conviction and as held in several cases, it can be relied upon solely where voluntary.

“It is curious that the defendant, who was privy to the state of affairs in the hotel, told the court that he was shocked when the police informed him of the death of his boss and the manager, when he was arrested in Port Harcourt.

“There is no doubt that the defendant was present at the premises of the scene of crime as confirmed by him in his evidence in chief and exhibits before the court.”

The judge held that the court had carefully considered the evidence of the defendant, particularly his account of how he left the hotel premises on January 25, 2019.

“The court believes that the defendant indeed wrote the confessional statement (exhibit PW2a-c) and his feeble attempt to retract same was to exonerate himself from the commission of the deadly act,” Ogala said.

“After a careful consideration of the facts in this case, I hereby find the defendant guilty of the two-count charge against him.

“The sentencing of the court upon you Jeffrey Ehizogie is that you be hanged by the neck until you are dead.”

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