A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has sentenced Sunday Onilade and Fatai Alao to death by hanging for the fatal stabbing of Tochukwu Chidi, a friend of the groom, during a wedding celebration in Bariga.
Justice Modupe Nico-Clay delivered the verdict on Friday, also sentencing the duo to 14 years in prison for unlawful possession of criminal charms.
“The prosecution has successfully proved the elements of murder beyond reasonable doubt,” Justice Nico-Clay ruled. She particularly cited the compelling testimony of the fourth prosecution witness, describing it as “overwhelming and credible.”
The judge dismissed the defence’s arguments about contradictions in witness statements. “The alleged discrepancies between the accounts of PW2 and PW4 are immaterial. PW2 clearly identified the weapon retrieved from the first defendant’s pocket as a knife,” she said.
Concluding the judgment, Justice Nico-Clay declared: “Sunday Onilade and Fatai Alao are hereby convicted and sentenced to death on the first count, and to 14 years imprisonment for possession of criminal charms.”
The defendants had denied the charges brought by the Lagos State Government. However, testimonies from four witnesses painted a clear picture of their involvement in the attack.
Prosecuting counsel, Mrs. Titilayo Olanrewaju-Daud, told the court the incident occurred on February 13, 2021, on Temple Street, Bariga.
According to her, the groom, Abimbola Bamidele, and friends had just returned from the wedding hall and were unloading wine when they were ambushed by suspected members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), including the convicts.
“They got out of a mini-bus armed with knives and charms and launched a violent attack on the wedding guests. During the chaos, Tochukwu Chidi was fatally stabbed,” Olanrewaju-Daud explained.
PW1, the groom, emotionally recounted the day as the worst of his life. “February 13, 2021, should have been my happiest day. Instead, I lost a dear friend,” he told the court.
He said a tricycle and mini-bus attempted to force their way through traffic near his parked car. When he and his friends resisted, the assailants jumped out and began attacking. Onilade, he said, chased him with a charm but was stopped by a neighbour.
PW2, Fabuji Riliwan, said he saw Chidi being chased with a knife and later discovered him stabbed in the face and neck.
PW3, Alex Chibuzor Nkemjika, testified that he was struck with a charm and lost consciousness, adding that he recognized both Onilade and Alao among the attackers. “Once they hit me with the charm, I couldn’t speak or hear anymore,” he said.
PW4, shopkeeper Yetunde Seriki, gave a vivid eyewitness account. “I saw them stab him multiple times. I begged them to stop, but they didn’t listen. He wasn’t fighting back, just asking what was going on,” she testified, remaining firm even under cross-examination.
In their defence, Onilade admitted being at the scene and carrying a charm.
Alao acknowledged being involved in a fight with individuals in ceremonial clothes but claimed he couldn’t say if the person who died was part of that altercation.
The court found their testimony unconvincing, especially given the consistent identification of both men by multiple witnesses.
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The prosecution submitted one exhibit before closing its case on February 13, 2024. The defence opened on April 23, 2024, and final written addresses were adopted before Friday’s judgment.
