24-Year-Old Labourer Beheads Farmer In Ondo, Blames Hard Drug

• Yusuf Oketola

A 24-year-old labourer, Sunday Clement, has been ordered to be remanded in prison custody by an Ondo State Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Akure, for allegedly killing a farmer, Taye Alatoye.

He was arraigned on a one-count charge of murder, OSUN DEFENDER gathered.

Clement was said to have killed the deceased on his way to farm at Ofosu community, in Idanre Local Government Area of the state.

According to the prosecutor, Mary Adebayo, the defendant committed the offence on September 4, 2023, at about 2:30 p.m. at Baba Odun Camp, Ofosu in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.

On that sad day, it was gathered that Clement and Alatoye were both going to the farm, when he suddenly moved backwards, removed his sharpened cutlass, and cut the victim on his neck, leaving his head dangling.

She said the offence committed contravened Sections 316 and 319 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 37 Vol. II Law of Ondo State, 2006.

Adebayo prayed the court to remand the defendant at the correctional centre, Olokuta, Akure, pending the outcome of advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

In her ruling, the Chief Magistrate, Folasade Aduroja, granted the prosecutor’s request and ordered the remand of the defendant in prison and also directed that the case file be duplicated and sent to the DPP for advice. She adjourned the case till November 28, 2023.

The defendant who pleaded for forgiveness said he committed the act under the influence of hard drugs.

He said, “We were both going, and we greeted each other on the path. The spirit just came over me to cut off Taye’s head. I can’t actually say what led to it. I think it was the ‘Ice’ I took in the hot sun.”