In a solemn courtroom session held at the Ondo State Chief Magistrate Court in Akure, a tragic incident took center stage as Sunday Clement, a 24-year-old laborer, was ordered into prison custody by Chief Magistrate Folasade Aduroja. Clement stands accused of the heinous murder of farmer Taye Alatoye.

The chain of events leading to this grim occurrence unfolded on September 4, 2023, around 2:30 p.m. in the rustic enclave of Baba Odun Camp, Ofosu, within the Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State. Clement and Alatoye, both en route to their respective farming duties, were sharing a path when the unimaginable transpired.

Without warning, Clement, with a sharpened cutlass in hand, abruptly reversed his course and, with chilling brutality, inflicted a fatal wound upon Alatoye’s neck. The gruesome act left Alatoye’s head precariously hanging, a scene that sent shockwaves throughout the community.

Subsequently, Mary Adebayo, the prosecutor representing the state, invoked Sections 316 and 319 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 37 Vol. II Law of Ondo State, 2006, in leveling a single count charge of murder against Clement. Adebayo passionately beseeched the court to remand the defendant within the confines of the correctional center in Olokuta, Akure, pending the outcome of legal advice to be sought from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Chief Magistrate Folasade Aduroja, after careful consideration, acceded to the prosecutor’s request. She ordered the immediate remand of the accused in prison custody and instructed the duplication of the case file for transmission to the Director of Public Prosecutions for professional guidance. The court further set the date for the next hearing on November 28, 2023.

In an unexpected twist, Clement, in a moment of remorse, sought forgiveness as he cited the influence of narcotics as a contributing factor to his inexplicable act. He lamented, “We were both going, and we greeted each other on the path. 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.”

This deeply disturbing case has cast a pall over Ofosu community and will undoubtedly continue to unravel as it proceeds through the judicial system.