Gladness Gideon
An Osun State High Court sitting in Osogbo has sentenced six men to varying jail terms for unlawful possession of firearms during the 2023 general elections in the state.
The convicts — Yinusa Rahmon, Moshood Hamzat, Awotunde Gbenga, Adebayo Mutiu, Femi Taiwo, and Najeem Omotuntun — were tried on three counts of conspiracy, unlawful possession of firearms, and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.
Justice M. Awe, delivering judgment in the case filed by the Federal Government and prosecuted by Fatima Adesina, found all six guilty of conspiracy and illegal firearm possession but acquitted them on the third count relating to conduct likely to breach public peace.
According to the Certified True Copy of the judgment dated July 11, 2025, the judge noted that the men were arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) at a hotel in Ila Orangun, Osun State, on March 18, 2023 — the day of the House of Assembly elections.
The prosecution presented evidence showing that the men were found in possession of two locally made barrel guns, six cartridges, two cutlasses, one battle axe, and a Fulani sword.
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While Justice Awe ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the allegation of threatening public peace, he upheld the charges of conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms.
Each of the defendants was sentenced to one year imprisonment with hard labour or a fine of ₦100,000 on the conspiracy charge. On the firearms charge, they each received a two-year sentence or a fine of ₦200,000. The court ordered that the jail terms would run concurrently, but any fines imposed would be cumulative.
The offences contravened Sections 121, 125(1)(i), and 126(1)(f) of the Electoral Act, 2022.
The ruling is among the few high-profile convictions related to electoral misconduct from the 2023 polls and highlights the judiciary’s role in upholding electoral integrity and curbing violence during elections.