A Magistrate’s Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State, on Monday ordered the remand of a 21-year-old carpenter, Anthony Alabi, at the Olokuta Correctional Centre over the alleged killing of a 58-year-old woman, Veronica Olaseni.
Alabi was arraigned by the police on a two-count charge bordering on murder and theft.
The presiding magistrate, Temitope Adurota, declined to take the defendant’s plea on the grounds that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
She subsequently directed that the defendant be remanded in custody pending legal advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Inspector Folashade Adebayo, told the court that the alleged offences were committed on March 2, 2026, at about 2:30 p.m. at Iboropa-Akoko in Akoko North-East Local Government Area of the state.
According to the prosecution, the defendant reportedly killed the victim on her farm after she identified him while he was attempting to steal her belongings.
Adebayo further told the court that the suspect allegedly carted away items belonging to the deceased, including a mobile phone valued at N150,000, a cutlass worth N10,000, and an ATM card.
The charges, she said, are punishable under Sections 319 and 390 of the Criminal Code Law of Ondo State, 2006.
The prosecutor urged the court to remand the defendant pending advice from the DPP.
The court also ordered that the case file be forwarded to the DPP for review and adjourned the matter till June 6 for mention.