By Abigail Philip David
An Ogun State High Court in Abeokuta has sentenced Lekan Adekanbi, Ahmed Odetola, and Waheed Adeniyi to death by hanging for the murder of Kehinde Fatinoye, his wife Bukola, and their son Oreoluwa on January 1, 2023.
According to court proceedings, the attack occurred shortly after the Fatinoye couple returned from a crossover service at their Ibara GRA residence. Led by their driver, Adekanbi and his accomplices invaded the home around 2 a.m., murdering the couple and setting the house ablaze. They also tied up Oreoluwa and an adopted son, throwing them into the Ogun River. While the adopted son managed to escape, Oreoluwa did not survive.
In a February 2023 interview, Adekanbi admitted orchestrating the attack after the couple refused to increase his salary and grant him a loan to buy a motorcycle. He explained that when a forced transfer of N1,102,000 from Kehinde Fatinoye’s bank account failed, he and his associates decided to kill the couple. During the assault, Adeniyi used a knife to kill Kehinde Fatinoye, while Adekanbi struck Bukola Fatinoye on the head with a sledgehammer.
Fatinoye family
The case gained additional notoriety when Adekanbi briefly escaped custody after faking an illness in jail on January 2, 2023. He was later apprehended in Abeokuta on January 21, 2023, while Odetola and Adeniyi were arrested in Ogere on February 9, 2023. All three suspects, members of the Aiye confraternity, confessed to their roles in the crime.
Charged alongside six others on 24 counts including armed robbery, murder, arson, and perverting the course of justice, the trio pleaded not guilty. However, Justice Basirat Adebowale ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, sentencing Adekanbi, Odetola, and Adeniyi to death by hanging. In her judgment, Justice Adebowale stated, “You do not deserve mercy. You are hereby sentenced to be hanged by the neck until you are dead or by lethal injection. May God have mercy on your souls.”
Additional sentences were handed down: Temitope Fadairo, Adekanbi’s wife, received two years imprisonment for aiding her husband, while Adenike Adekanbi, his mother, was sentenced to one year for providing false statements. Azeez Usman, the welder involved in dismantling the stolen vehicle, received 14 years imprisonment, and Anuoluwapo Owolaja was sentenced to two years. Two other defendants, Abass Odetola and Lukmon Adewusi, were discharged of all charges.
During the trial, Chief State Counsel Adefisoye Temilola detailed how the armed defendants robbed the Fatinoyes of N1.102 million, a Hyundai vehicle valued at N12 million, and mobile phones worth N1 million, before committing the heinous murders and setting the residence on fire.
