A man named Akinwale Akinlabi has been sentenced to 12 years in prison by the Ikeja High Court for the murder of his wife, Tope.
Tope’s death occurred on February 2, 2020, in the Ijaiye Ojojoro area of Lagos. She sustained serious injuries when her head collided with the table’s edge after Akinlabi pushed her during a disagreement over the volume of a radio.
Akinlabi was accused of causing Tope’s death by inflicting bodily harm on her. However, he maintained his innocence, challenging the government’s decision to charge him with manslaughter.
On Monday, November 25, 2024, Justice Oyindamola Ogola ruled in favor of the prosecution, finding sufficient evidence to convict Akinlabi of manslaughter.
The judge found the prosecution to have presented circumstantial evidence that left no doubt beyond reasonable doubt regarding Akinlabi’s guilt. She noted that the prosecution had provided evidence of Akinlabi’s unlawful actions, which directly led to Tope’s death.
Ogola was clear that the cause of death was the violence that ensued during the altercation. However, she also acknowledged that Tope’s death was unintentional and occurred shortly after the fight began.
The judge, however, said it was also clear that the death was unintentional and that the deceased died shortly after the fight.
“The vertical scars on the back of the deceased as stated in exhibit (f), corroborates the evidence of the prosecution witnesses,” she said.
“Prosecution has indeed established the ingredients of the offence of manslaughter, the defendant is therefore accordingly convicted of same.
“Having heard and considered the plea of the defence counsel, and also taking into consideration the peculiarity of this case, the defendant is accordingly sentenced to a term of 12 years imprisonment.
“The sentencing shall begin from the period of his incarceration, February 3, 2020,” Ogala held.
Akinlabi and his deceased wife had a misunderstanding over the volume of a radio, which resulted in a fight.
He pushed Tope, who hit her head on the edge of a table and died on the way to the hospital.
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