A man, Sunday Clement has been remanded in prison custody for allegedly killing a 30 year old farmer, Taye Alatoye by an Ondo State Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Akure, the state capital.
Clement was arrested by men of Ondo State Police Command after he allegedly killed the victim on his way to the farm at Baba Odun Camp, Ofosu in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.
He was charged to court arraigned on a one-count charge of murder.
It was gathered that on the fateful day, Clement and Alatoye were both going to the farm, when he suddenly moved backward, removed his sharpened cutlass, and cut the victim on his neck, leaving his head dangling.
According to the prosecutor, Mary Adebayo, the defendant committed the offense on September 4, 2023, at about 2:30 p.m. at Baba Odun Camp, Ofosu in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.
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, told the court that he was on his way to the farm to work after taking a hard drug, Crystal methamphetamine also known as ‘ice’ and marijuana.
Narrating to court what came over him, the defendant said ” We were both going, and we greeted each other on the road part.”
“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,” he explained.
“The spirit just told me to go backward and I did. All my eyes were blocked and I heard another voice that instructed me to cut the man with the cutlass in my hand, which I did.
“Immediately I did it, I came back to my senses and started crying before I was eventually apprehended by the police.
