Man Sentenced To 21 Years Imprisonment For Killing Business Partner
Justice Raliat Adebiyi of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja Wednesday convicted and sentenced a black oil marketer, Abubakar Samaila to 21 years imprisonment for stabbing his partner, Sanni Mohammed, 33, to death with a knife.
The convict was arraigned before the court by the Lagos State government on a one court count charge of murder contrary to section 227 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.
The prosecution, Mrs Bukola Akani, had told the court during the cause of trial that the convict committed the offence on the May 31, 2013 at about 5 p.m. along Ibira street, Idi-araba Muslin, Lagos.
Mrs. Akani had also informed the court that the convict and the deceased were partners in the same business and that they had gone to sell oil to a doctor (name withheld) on the day of the incident.
The lawyer had claimed that the doctor, unfortunately for them, rejected the oil on the claims that it was mixed with water.
She further said that the deceased, thereafter, gave the same oil to another person who helped him sell it to the said doctor.
Mrs. Akani said when the convict confronted the deceased on the sale of the oil later, an argument ensued, which later led to a fight.
According to her, the convict took out a knife and stabbed the deceased on the left side of his chest in the course of the fight.
She said deceased died not too long after he was stabbed.
The prosecutor added that eyewitnesses within the scene grabbed the convict and tied him up while the police was immediately alerted and the convict was arrested.
The deceased corpse was then deposited at Mainland Hospital, Yaba.
Delivering judgment in the matter, Justice Adebiyi convicted the defendant for the offence of involuntary manslaughter as against murder.
Justice Adebiyi convicted Samaila of manslaughter on the account that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that there was an intention to cause grievous or bodily harm.
In his allocutus, defence counsel, Mrs. Yemisi Ajayi, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy emphasizing that the convict was a first time offender and has no record of previous crimes.
But Justice Adebiyi noted in her judgment that the death of the deceased was caused by the act of the defendant.
The judge said, “the court hereby finds you, Abubakar Samaila, guilty of involuntary manslaughter and convicts you accordance with the provisions of section 222 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.
” The defendant is hereby sentenced to imprisonment for 21 years. The sentence shall commence from the date of his remand at the Ikoyi medium prison”, she held.