An Ikeja High Court has sentenced Akinwale Akinlabi to 12 years in prison for killing his wife, Tope, in Lagos.
Tope died on February 2, 2020, in the Ijaiye Ojojoro area after hitting her head on a table during a confrontation with Akinlabi, who pushed her.
Akinlabi was charged with inflicting bodily harm that led to her death, but he pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter charge brought against him by the Lagos State Government.
In her judgment on November 25, 2024, Justice Oyindamola Ogala ruled that the prosecution had proven manslaughter beyond reasonable doubt, citing circumstantial evidence that linked the violence to the victim’s death.
The judge stated that although the fatal incident was a result of an argument between the couple, it was clear the death was unintentional. She noted that the vertical scars on the victim’s back supported the prosecution’s case.
Ogala acknowledged the defense’s arguments but emphasized the nature of the case, sentencing Akinlabi to 12 years in prison, starting from his arrest on February 3, 2020.
The altercation that led to the tragedy began over a disagreement about the radio’s volume, culminating in Akinlabi pushing Tope, who later died from the injury while being taken to the hospital.
