An Ogun State High Court in Kobape, Abeokuta, on Monday sentenced Lekan Adekanbi, Ahmed Odetola, and Waheed Adeniyi to death by hanging for the brutal murders of Kehinde Fatinoye, his wife Bukola, and their son, Oreoluwa, on January 1, 2023.
The Fatinoye family was attacked at their Ibara GRA residence shortly after returning from a crossover service. Led by their driver, Adekanbi, the assailants broke into the house around 2 a.m., killing the couple before setting the house and their bodies on fire. They also tied up Oreoluwa and an adopted son, Felix Olorunyomi, before throwing them into the Ogun River. While Oreoluwa did not survive, Felix miraculously escaped.
In a confession made to journalists in February 2023, Adekanbi explained that the motive for the attack stemmed from the Fatinoyes’ refusal to meet his financial demands, including a salary increase and a loan to buy a motorcycle. He revealed that he had enlisted Odetola and Adeniyi to help him rob the couple, which escalated to murder. “The three of us waited for the couple until they returned from the service. We attacked them immediately they entered the house,” Adekanbi said.
He also admitted to forcing Kehinde Fatinoye to transfer N1,102,000 to his Access Bank account at gunpoint after an initial transfer attempt to Odetola’s Kuda Bank account failed. Fearing that his identity had been exposed through the transaction, Adekanbi decided to kill the Fatinoyes to cover up his tracks.
Adeniyi used a knife to kill Kehinde Fatinoye, while Adekanbi struck Bukola on the head with a sledgehammer. When their son Oreoluwa and adopted son Felix arrived, the assailants tied them up and threw them into the river. Felix managed to escape, but Oreoluwa drowned.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, recounted how Adekanbi initially escaped from custody after faking an illness. On January 2, 2023, Adekanbi collapsed in his cell and was taken to a hospital, where he managed to escape. After a thorough investigation, police tracked him to his brother’s house in Iseyin, Oyo State. Although he fled before the police arrived, Adekanbi was apprehended in Abeokuta on January 21, 2023. Odetola and Adeniyi were arrested in Ogere on February 9, 2023.
All three suspects, members of the Aiye confraternity, confessed to their involvement in the crime. They were charged with 24 counts, including conspiracy to commit armed robbery, murder, arson, and perverting the course of justice. Despite pleading not guilty, they were found guilty.
In her judgment, Justice Basirat Adebowale stated, “The trio of Adekanbi, Odetola, and Adeniyi are guilty of nine counts, as the prosecution has proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.” She sentenced them to death by hanging or lethal injection, declaring, “For killing a father, mother, and son, you do not deserve mercy. May God have mercy on your souls.”
Other sentences included: Temitope Fadairo (Adekanbi’s wife) to two years imprisonment for hiding her husband, Adenike Adekanbi (Adekanbi’s mother) to one-year imprisonment for providing false statements to the police, Azeez Usman (the welder who dismantled the stolen vehicle) to 14 years imprisonment for receiving stolen property, plus additional sentences to run concurrently, Anuoluwapo Owolaja to two years imprisonment, Abass Odetola and Lukmon Adewusi were discharged of all charges.
During the trial, Chief State Counsel Adefisoye Temilola outlined the details of the crime, stating that the defendants, armed with a gun, hammer, and cutlass, robbed Mr. Fatinoye of N1,102 million and a Hyundai vehicle worth N12 million. They also stole Mrs. Bukola Fatinoye’s phones, valued at N1 million. After murdering the couple, the assailants set the house ablaze and killed Oreoluwa by tying him up and throwing him into the river.
The case serves as a reminder of the brutality of the crime and the tragic loss of a family.
