A Kwara State High Court has ordered the remand of seven suspects linked to the murder of Mojisola Awesu, a final year student of the Kwara State College of Health Technology, Offa.
Justice Ibrahim Yusuf gave the order after the legal representatives for three of the accused, who are hotel workers, failed to appear in court. The suspects include two prime suspects, Happiness Adebayo and Timileyin Kolawole, as well as Adebayo Adeniyi and Bukola Adeniyi, who are the parents of Happiness. The remaining three, Adeoye Adeola, Lawal Aminat and Peter Bulus, are hotel staff where Awesu was allegedly murdered.
The defendants face six charges, including conspiracy, murder, destruction of evidence and dumping a corpse. The prosecution stated that the crime took place on August 9, 2024, and cited violations of the Penal Code and the Kwara State law prohibiting dealings in human parts.
At the previous hearing on February 3, the court had ordered the remand of the two prime suspects due to the absence of their lawyers. However, during the latest hearing, new counsels appeared for them, while legal representation for the hotel workers was still absent.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the delays, Justice Yusuf ordered all seven defendants to be held in a federal correctional facility in Ilorin until the next hearing on March 4, 2025. He warned that the court would no longer tolerate further delays and instructed all defendants to ensure their legal representatives are present at the next sitting.