An Ondo State Magistrates court sitting in Akure has arraigned Mubarak Akadiri for allegedly killing Sidikat Adamolekun, a 62-year-old retired head teacher.

The 18-year-old suspect, who is also the son of the victim’s housemaid, stands accused of killing Adamolekun after she caught him stealing her phone, valued at N66,000.

During his arraignment in court on Friday, the teenage suspect confessed to bludgeoning the victim to death by repeatedly hitting her head with a wooden stool.

He explained, “As usual, I went to the house to work, and I later came back to steal her Samsung phone. However, she caught me after I stole the phone. In an attempt to escape, I used a wooden stool to hit her head. The old woman kept shouting for help. Thereafter, I hit her repeatedly on the head until she fell and died.”

While the court did not take the plea of the suspect, charged with one count of murder, the police prosecutor, Simon Wada, prayed the court to remand the defendant at the Olokuta Correctional Centre pending advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The presiding magistrate, Damilola Sekoni, granted the prosecutor’s request, ordering the remand of the suspect at the centre pending the outcome of the DPP’s advice.

The hearing of the case is adjourned until March 15, 2024.