Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
An Ekiti State High Court, Ado Ekiti, has sentenced four persons to death by hanging for robbery and murder.
The convicts are Mr. Babagida Amodu 25; Mr. Oluwafemi Ibrahim, 20; Mr. Ojo Ayodele, 25, and Mr. Okunato Dada, 20.
The convicts were charged on three count charge of conspiracy, armed robbery and murder.
Handing down the judgment yesterday, Justice John Adeyeye, said: “It is obvious that the defendants acted in concert to rob Mr. Ibrahim Isiaka and Mr. Mohammed Sanusi, who died as a result of the injury inflicted on him during the robbery.
“In conclusion, the prosecution has successfully proved the three charges of conspiracy to rob, armed robbery and murder preferred against them and they are each convicted accordingly in respect of each of the offences.”
According to the charges, the convicts on June 7, 2018, at Ijoka Area Ado Ekiti, conspired to commit armed robbery by robbing one Mr. Ibrahim Isiaka of his phone and sum of N1,500, while also murdering one Mr. Muhammed Sanusi on the said day.
The charge read that the convicts as at the time of committing the offences were armed with guns and knives.
The offences contravened sections 516, 402 (2) and 316 of the Criminal Code Cap C16 Laws of Ekiti State of Nigeria, 2012.
Isiaka, who testified as an eyewitness before court, said: “I and the deceased were going to Mosque to buy food and to charge our phones at Ijoka around 7:45p.m. While we were approaching the charging centre, some hoodlums just appeared and demanded for our phones and money, but we declined.
“They dragged me and collected my Techno phone valued N7,500 and cash sum of N1,500. When they started beating the deceased, I ran away to call our people, but before we got there, they had left. But we met the deceased in the pool of blood, having been stabbed on the neck.
“I recognised the faces of the convicts during the act. The case was later reported at the police station.”
To prove his case during the trial, the Prosecutor and Lawyer, Mr. Felix Awoniyi, called five witnesses and tendered statements of the four convicts and medical report as exhibits.
The defendants spoke through their Counsels, Adeyinka Opaleke, Ekiti State Coordinator of the Legal Aid Council, O. Abiola and A. Ayobioloja. They called no witness.
