Law & Crime
Court sentences killers of Ogun couple, son, to death by hanging
The Ogun State High Court in Abeokuta on Monday sentenced three persons to death for killing a couple, Kehinde and Bukola Fatinoye and their son, Oreoluwa, on 1 January 2023.
Trial judge Basirat Adebowale sentenced the trio – Lekan Adekanbi, was the family’s driver, Odetola Ahmed and Adeniyi Waheed – in a judgement which lasted for more than three hours, DailyPost reports.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the defendants were charged with 24 counts of armed robbery, armed robbery, conspiracy to murder, murder, arson, escape from lawful custody, perverting the course of justice and receiving stolen property, among others.
Gruesome murder
The assailants reportedly trailed Mr Fatinoye, a former employee of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and his wife, Bukola, alongside their son, Oreoluwa, as they were returning home from the 2022/2023 crossover service at the Christ Anglican Church Iporo-Ake, Abeokuta.
The couple who lived at Oba Karunwi Road, a street behind former Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s residence, in Ibara GRA, Abeokuta, at about 1:30 a.m. were robbed, gruesomely murdered and their house set ablaze.
The assailants reportedly tied their son, Oreoluwa, and adopted son, Felix, with ropes and threw them into a river along Adigbe-Obada Road.
Penalties
Delivering judgement on Monday, the judge held that the prosecution proved its cases against the three defendants beyond reasonable doubt.
She found the three principal defendants guilty of murder.
The judge held that the convicts did not deserve mercy, as their lawyers had requested, because of the way they killed the couple and their son.
She convicted them of counts one to nine, handing them death by hanging or lethal injection, life imprisonment with hard labour, 14 years imprisonment among others for the various offences.
“The sentence of this court on Adekambi Lekan in respect of count II is that you be hanged by neck until you’re dead or by lethal injection.
“May God have mercy on your soul,” the court held.
The judge also convicted Ms Fadairo, the wife of Mr Adekanbi, to two years imprisonment for perverting the course of justice by hiding her husband.
Meanwhile, Mr Adekanbi’s mother, Adenike, was also sentenced to one year imprisonment for making false statements to police officers.
Law & Crime
Law firm alleges malicious publication by Jaja in disregard to a subsisting court order
By Raymond Iginla (Abuja)
An Abuja based law firm, Dynamic Option Chambers, has accused Mr Tonye Clinton Jaja, a lawyer and a Senior Research fellow of publishing a defamatory, malicious statement in the public domain against its client, Dr Monday O. Ubani, SAN.
Barrister Nkem Okoro (Esq.), a lawyer from the firm and a solicitor to Ubani made this known in a press statement he made available to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday.
The Barrister also accused Jaja who is also a legislative drafting expert of breaching the court order that had earlier restrained him from issuing further defamatory statement in public domain against his client.
He said that the attention of his firm and that of his client, has again been drawn to another reckless, sensational and legally irresponsible publication authored by Jaja,
Okoro said that his client name was casually and maliciously inserted into an alleged criminal narrative by the accused without a single fact, detail, document, transaction, witness, or nexus linking him to any wrongdoing whatsoever.
He stated that his client (Ubani) has never had any dealing whatsoever with Abubakar Malami, the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, nor the author of the malicious publication.
The Barrister said that his client had never been connected in any manner whatsoever to the allegations irresponsibly propagated in the said publication.
According to him, the publication is not only defamatory and malicious, but also constitutes a deliberate violation of a subsisting court order restraining Jaja from publishing further defamatory or tarnishing materials against his client.
He said that despite the pending civil and criminal proceedings that had already been instituted against the accused, he had persistently continued this campaign of reckless publications in utter disregard for the authority of the court and the rule of law.
“It bears repeating that mere mention of a person’s name in a criminal narrative without particulars, evidence nor public interest disclosure. It is character assassination and abuse of media space.
“Our client has neither had any professional, financial, administrative, or personal dealings with the the former Attorney General of the Federation Mr Malami SAN nor with the author.
“The author’s complete failure to supply any factual particulars further exposes the hollowness and mischief embedded in his claims.
“We wish to place the public on notice that our firm has already activated and continues to pursue robust civil and criminal enforcement processes against Jaja, arising from his serial defamatory publications and contemptuous conduct.
“These processes shall be methodically prosecuted to their logical conclusion until full legal redress is achieved,” Okoro said.
He said that if the author of all the defamatory statement genuinely possesses any credible evidence against his client, the proper forum remains the courtroom, and not the media trials, open-letter propaganda, or reckless abuse on public platforms.
Okoro urged the public to discountenance the said publication authored by Jaja in its entirety and to remain guided by verifiable facts, judicial processes, and the rule of law.
He said that further defamatory publications and the previous ones shall attract immediate and escalated legal consequences sooner or later, adding that It is just a matter of time.
Meanwhile, a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has issued a notice of consequences (Form 48) to Dr Jaja, warning that he will be guilty of contempt of court if he continues to issue derogatory publication against this client.
The court added that Jaja maybe committed to prison if he continues in that direction, disobeying a court order restraining and barring him from making a further derogatory statement against Dr Monday Ubani.
The notice of consequences is dated January 12, 2026, and was signed by the Court Registrar in pursuant to order IX, Rule 13 of High Court Rules.
The notice was directly address to Jaja of House 475B, 41 Crescent, off 4th Avenue Gwarinpa, Abuja.
The notice reads “Take notice that unless you obey the restraining orders of Honourable Justice S.U. Bature, made on the 9th day of December 2025.
The notice is directing Jaja to stop making further derogatory publications against the person of Ubani, adding that he will be guilty of contempt of court if he continues, and will be liable to prison.
This notice followed an interim order made by Justice S.U. Bature on Dec. 9, 2025, in the Suit No. FCT/HC/CV/4411/2025 between Monday Onyekachi Ubani (SAN) (Claimant/Applicant ) and Barr. Lilian Okenwa (Editor-in-Chief, Law and Society Magazine and Dr Tonye Clinton Jaja (Defendants/Respondents).
Upon careful consideration of the motion Ex-parte with No. M/16245/2025 dated Dec. 4, 2025, and accompanying affidavit of Susan Nnenna Nwaze, and upon listening to Sir Nkem Okoro, Esq, Counsel for the claimant/Applicant, Justice Bature granted the applicant orders.
An interim order restraining the defendants whether by themselves, agents, privies or howsoever called from making further derogatory publications against the person of the claimant, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
An order directing the maintenance of Status quo antebellum, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
A motion seeking the service of the court processes on the Defendants/Respondents by substituted means; and the matter was later adjourned to December 16, 2025 for hearing of motion on notice.
The issuance of the notice of consequences comes after Ubani Solicitor, Nkem Okoro in a recent press statement accused Tonye Clinton Jaja of violating the subsisting court order by continuing to publish defamatory materials against his client.
Okoro had stated that his firm has activated robust civil and criminal enforcement processes against Jaja arising from his alleged serial defamatory publications and contemptuous conduct.
Okoro however warned that all further defamatory publications would attract immediate and escalated legal consequences.
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