A 21-year-old carpenter, Anthony Alabi, has confessed to murdering a 58-year-old woman, Veronica Olaseni, on her farm in Ondo State.
Alabi was arraigned in an Akure Magistrate’s Court on a two-count charge of murder and theft.
The Presiding Magistrate, Temitope Adurota, declined to take the defendant’s plea, noting that the court lacks jurisdiction over the matter.
She subsequently ordered his remand pending advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Earlier, Prosecutor Folashade Adebayo said Alabi committed the crime on March 2, 2026, around 2:30 p.m. in Iboropa-Akoko, Akoko North-East Local Government Area.
Alabi allegedly strangled Olaseni after she caught him stealing her belongings.
According to the prosecution, the defendant also stole items including an Infinix phone valued at N150,000, a cutlass worth N10,000, and an Access Bank ATM card belonging to the deceased.
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The charge sheet cites sections of the Ondo State Criminal Code Law.
The defendant, who was not represented by counsel, reportedly confessed that he went to the farm to steal cashew nuts but attacked the woman after being recognised.
The case file has been forwarded to the DPP, and the matter was adjourned until June 6 for mention.
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