An Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti has sentenced two persons to death by hanging.
The defendants Adejuwon Kehinde (37) and an ex-convict Adeniyi Dayo (35) were arraigned before Justice Lekan Olatawura on 14/2/2023 on five count charge bordering on conspiracy, armed robbery and stealing.
The charge read that the convicts on 04/01/22, 01/01/23 while armed with gun and cutlass did conspired to steal the sum of #100,000 and UBA ATM, properties of one Adeowo Aderonke, did rob one Ojo Adeniyi of his Toyota Highlander Jeep, One bag of rice, five tubers of yam and a sum of #156,000, also did rob one Emmanuel Adebajo Gbenga of his Toyota Camry car, Laptop, six phones and cash sum of #60,000. According to the charge, the offences are contrary to Section 302(4)(a), 312(2)(a) and 421 of the criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.
In his testimony before the court, one of the victims Emmanuel Adebajo said, myself, my wife and our three children were coming from church on new year eve, around 2:00am, when we got to the gate of our house and about to enter, I suddenly saw three persons emanated from nowhere and armed with gun and cutlasses, we were ordered to come down of the car, they snatched the car from me at gun point, alongside my laptop, six different phones, bunch of key and sum of #60,000 all valued # 376,000. I went to report at Oke Ila police station, I was redirected to police Area Command at Okesa, Ado Ekiti, where all police posts across the country was radio phoned after making formal complaint.
I later contacted the Enginer, who installed the Car Tracker, after frantic effort, the car was tracked at Offa, Kwara State alongside the defendants. They were first transferred to Ilorin in Kwara State Command, they contacted Ekiti State Command and later brought to Ado Ekiti. The car was released to me but other items like phones, laptop and money were not seen again, he concluded.
To prove his case, the prosecutor Olasanmi Oluwaseun called three witnesses and tendered defendant statements, bond to produce and cutlass as exhibits, while the defendants spoke through their lawyer Lawrence Fasanmi in their own defence, they called no witness.
In his Judgement, Justice Olatawura said, I note that the 2nd defendant’s confessioinal statement, he described himself as an ex-convict. One would have have thought that after his experience in prison, he ought to have reformed himself, instead, he stepped up his criminal acts and graduated from being a phone thief to an armed robber. I have given consideration to the plea of the defendants for mercy, unfortunately, the punishment for offence of armed robbery is mandatory, I therefore have no discretion to exercise in that behalf.
Consequent thereupon, on count one, (Conspiracy) the defendants are sentenced to 7 years imprisonment each, while on count two(Armed Robbery) the sentence of this count is that you be hanged by the neck until you be dead, may God have mercy on your soul, the judge pronounced.
