Three Sentenced to Death for Gruesome Murder of Fatinoye Family in Ogun

An Ogun State court has sentenced three individuals to death for the brutal murder of the Fatinoye family, bringing closure to the tragic case that shocked the community.

An Ogun State High Court located in Kobape, Abeokuta, has sentenced Lekan Adekanbi, Ahmed Odetola, and Waheed Adeniyi to death by hanging for the gruesome murder of Kehinde Fatinoye, his wife Bukola, and their son Oreoluwa on January 1st, 2023.

The tragic incident took place at the Fatinoyes’ Ibara GRA residence shortly after their return from a crossover service. Around 2 a.m., assailants led by the family’s driver, Adekanbi, broke into the home, murdered the couple, and set fire to the house.

In a shocking turn of events, the assailants bound Oreoluwa and an adopted son before casting them into the Ogun River. Tragically, Oreoluwa did not survive; however, the adopted son miraculously escaped.

In an interview conducted in February 2023, Adekanbi admitted to planning the attack and revealed that his motive was the couple’s denial of a salary increase or loan request.

“I decided to take action because the couple declined my request for a raise, and when I asked them for a loan to buy a motorcycle, they refused,” he confessed.

He disclosed that he had enlisted the help of two accomplices, Odetola and Adeniyi, to assist him in robbing the couple.

“We waited for the couple to return from the crossover service, and as soon as they entered the house, we approached them right away,” he said.

He stated that under duress, Kehinde Fatinoye was compelled to transfer N1,102,000 to his Access Bank account after an earlier attempt to send money to Odetola’s Kuda Bank account had failed.

He confessed, “Upon discovering that my identity was exposed through my bank account, I decided along with others to end the couple’s lives.”

Adeniyi used a knife to kill Kehinde Fatinoye, while Adekanbi fatally struck Bukola Fatinoye on the head with a sledgehammer.

When the couple’s son, Oreoluwa, and their adopted son, Felix Olorunyomi, entered the scene, the criminals restrained them and threw them into the Ogun River. Fortunately, Felix managed to escape.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, described how Adekanbi managed to escape from custody by pretending to be ill.

Oyeyemi stated, “On January 2, 2023, the suspect Lekan Adekanbi unexpectedly collapsed in his cell and was taken to the hospital for medical attention. However, during treatment, he abruptly jumped from his bed and escaped by scaling the hospital fence.”

After conducting a technical and intelligence-driven investigation, the police traced him to his brother’s house in Iseyin, Oyo State.

He managed to flee before the officers arrived, but was subsequently arrested in Abeokuta on January 21, 2023.

Odetola and Adeniyi, his accomplices, were apprehended in Ogere on February 9, 2023.

Oyeyemi stated that the three suspects, all members of the Aiye confraternity, have confessed to their involvement in the brutal and heinous murder of the family.

Adekanbi, Odetola, and Adeniyi, along with six additional individuals, faced charges on 24 counts. These included conspiracy to commit armed robbery, murder, arson, and obstructing justice. They all entered pleas of not guilty.

In her ruling, Justice Basirat Adebowale stated, “Adekanbi, Odetola, and Adeniyi have been found guilty of nine counts as the prosecution has successfully proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Adebowale condemned them to death by hanging.

“You, Adekanbi, Odetola, and Adeniyi, for the murder of a father, mother, and son deserve no mercy. You are therefore sentenced to death by hanging or lethal injection. May God have mercy on your souls,” she declared.

The other sentences were as follows: Temitope Fadairo, Adekanbi’s wife, received a sentence of two years in prison for concealing her husband; Adenike Adekanbi, his mother, was sentenced to one year in prison for giving false statements to the police. Azeez Usman, the welder who dismantled the stolen vehicle, was given 14 years imprisonment for receiving stolen property with additional concurrent sentences. Anuoluwapo Owolaja also faced a two-year imprisonment term. Meanwhile, Abass Odetola and Lukmon Adewusi were acquitted of all charges against them.

During the trial, Chief State Counsel Adefisoye Temilola informed the court that the three individuals committed the crime on Karounwi Street in Ibara Housing Estate, Abeokuta.

Armed with a gun, hammer, and cutlass, the defendants robbed Mr. Fatinoye of N1.102 million and took his Hyundai vehicle valued at N12 million. They also stole phones worth N1 million from Mrs. Bukola Fatinoye.

After robbing the couple, Adeniyi fatally stabbed Kehinde Fatinoye with a knife, while Adekanbi hit Bukola on the head with a sledgehammer.

According to Temilola, they set the house on fire and caused the death of their only son, Oreoluwa. They did this by binding his hands and feet before throwing him into the Ogun River.