By Precious Owolabi, Ado-Ekiti
An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced two men to death by hanging for armed robbery.
The defendants, Adejuwon Kehinde (37) and an ex-convict, Adeniyi Dayo (35), were arraigned before Justice Lekan Olatawura on February 14, 2023, on a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, armed robbery, and stealing.
According to the charge, the convicts, on January 04, 2022, and January 01, 2023, while armed with guns and cutlasses, conspired to steal the sum of ₦100,000 and a UBA ATM card, property of Adeowo Aderonke.
They were also accused of robbing Ojo Adeniyi of his Toyota Highlander Jeep, a bag of rice, five tubers of yam, and ₦156,000, as well as robbing Emmanuel Adebajo Gbenga of his Toyota Camry car, laptop, six phones, and ₦60,000.
The offences, according to the prosecution, are contrary to Sections 302(4)(a), 312(2)(a), and 421 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.
Testifying before the court, one of the victims, Emmanuel Adebajo, narrated that he, his wife, and their three children were returning from Church around 2:00 a.m. on New Year’s Eve when they were attacked at the gate of their residence.
“We were about to enter the compound when three armed men suddenly emerged from nowhere. They ordered us out of the car at gunpoint and took away my Toyota Camry, laptop, six phones, a bunch of keys, and ₦60,000 all valued at ₦376,000,” he said.
Adebajo explained that he reported the incident at Oke Ila Police Station before being referred to the Area Command, Okesa, Ado-Ekiti.
Following a formal complaint, a car tracker engineer was contacted, and after a series of efforts, the vehicle was traced to Offa, Kwara State, where the defendants were apprehended.
He added that the car was later recovered and returned to him, though other stolen items including phones, a laptop, and cash were never found.
To prove the case, the prosecutor, Olasanmi Oluwaseun, called three witnesses and tendered exhibits including the defendants’ confessional statements, a bond to produce, and a cutlass.
The defendants, represented by their counsel, Lawrence Fasanmi, testified in their defence but called no witnesses.
In his judgment, Justice Olatawura observed that the second defendant had described himself as an ex-convict in his confessional statement.
“One would have thought that after his experience in prison, he would have reformed. Instead, he graduated from being a phone thief to an armed robber,” the judge noted.
He added that although the court considered their plea for mercy, the punishment for armed robbery is mandatory and allows for no judicial discretion.
“Consequently, on count one (conspiracy), the defendants are sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment each. On count two (armed robbery), the sentence is that you be hanged by the neck until you are dead. May God have mercy on your souls,” Justice Olatawura pronounced.