Oyo High Court Sentences Kolade Tosin to Death for Rape, Murder of Ifeoluwa Apanpa

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Summary: The Oyo State High Court has convicted and sentenced Kolade Tosin, a 24-year-old Nigerian man, to death by hanging for the rape and murder of Ifeoluwa Apanpa. The 17-year-old was forcefully assaulted and strangled to death by the convict on September 17, 2026.

Kolade Tosin, a 24-year-old Nigerian man, has been convicted and sentenced to death by hanging for the rape and murder of  Ifeoluwa Apanpa. This verdict was delivered by Justice Mojisola I. Sule, of the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan, on Monday, May 11, 2026. 

On September 17, 2022, the convict, Kolade, lured the 17-year-old teenager into a church at the Olodo area of Ibadan, where his mother worked as a cleaner. He pretended to need help to carry chairs, then forcefully had sexual intercourse with her. Then, he strangled her to death when she provided the wrong password for her mobile phone. Her lifeless body with blood-stained underwear was found along the road, while Kolade’s mother found her phone on her son, which she reported to the young girl’s pastor.

The convict was arrested by police detectives at Iyana Offa Divisional Headquarters, then transferred to the Homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan, for further investigation. During interrogation, Tosin was reported to have confessed to the crime but denied it during the hearing in the court. However, the court found him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. 

“The evidence is very compelling and leaves no room for acquittal. I hold that the prosecution has proved the ingredients of murder and rape beyond a reasonable doubt,” Justice Mojisola said.

In addition, the judge dismissed the convict’s attempt to deny his initial statements to the police; she labelled the denial as an afterthought and affirmed that the confessions were obtained lawfully in the presence of his parents. 

“I hold in agreement with the prosecution that the defendant’s denial of making a statement to the police later in his defence is an afterthought and cannot avail him,” the judge stated.

After an overview of the trial proceedings, the judge convicted Kolade on two counts: death by hanging for murder and life imprisonment for the rape of the teenager. 

“I therefore find you, Kolade Tosin, guilty as charged. I therefore hereby sentence you, Kolade Tosin, to death by hanging on the neck until pronounced dead. May God have mercy on your soul,” she pronounced. 

On the rape offence, the judge quoted section 358 of the Criminal Code, which provides imprisonment for life with or without caning.

“Having found you guilty of raping one Ifeoluwa Apanpa, I hereby sentence you to imprisonment for life without caning,” she added.