An Ogun State Magistrate Court in Owode-Egba on Tuesday has ordered that
the Redeemer’s University undergraduate, Tolani Ajayi, who murdered his
father in July, be remanded in prison. The Magistrate, Bolaji Ojikutu,
gave the order when the case came for hearing today.
The suspect was charged with a one count charge of murder. The charge read in part:
“That you, Tola Ajayi, on 21 July, 2014, at about 4am at Canaan-Land
Street, RCCG Camp, Mowe in the Owode Egba Magistrate Court District did
unlawfully kill one Charles Ajayi, aged 60, by matcheting him with knife
and cutlass and thereby committed an offence
contrary to Section 316 and punishable under section 319(1) of the
criminal code, laws of Ogun State of Nigeria. 2006.”
The accused could not enter any plea as he had no legal representation
in court. The case file, according to court sources, would be sent to
the Department of Public Prosecution, DPP, for advice. The magistrate,
however, adjourned the case to October 10.
Tolani had on July 8, while in detention, told PREMIUM TIMES how he killed his father.
“The incident happened around 1 a.m. when the church would have been
sleeping by then. It was anger that led me to this. There was an
argument between us and I stood up to him. He beat me with a stick and
bit me with his teeth repeatedly. Just the two of us were at home; my
mother was in Abuja,” he said.
Tolani said his father was the one that first went to the kitchen to get
a wooden spoon which he used to hit him repeatedly. He confessed that
he actually used a kitchen knife and cutlass to attack his father.
“I tried to defend myself, then he bit me on my shoulder and I got
angry. I used normal small kitchen knife then I used a cutlass to attack
him. I regret the action,” the young man said.