ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced two men, Olusegun Folorunso, 53, and Ajayi Dele, 51, to death by hanging for armed robbery.
The defendants were arraigned before Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi on a three-count charge of conspiracy and armed robbery.
During the trial, prosecution counsel Kunle-Shina Adeyemi told the court that the crime was committed on August 24, 2022, along the Erio-Ekiti road.
He stated that the defendants, armed with guns and cutlasses, robbed one Ajogbeje Ayodeji of his ash-colored Hyundai Sonata, a phone, and a laptop.
“On the same day, they also robbed Oluwasegun Oke of his phone,” Adeyemi informed the court.
The prosecution argued that the crime violated Section 6(b) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Cap. R11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Testifying before the court, Ayodeji recounted his experience:
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“Around 4 a.m., my two brothers and I were traveling from Erio-Ekiti to Ido-Ekiti when we saw a barricade on the road.
“As we tried to figure out what was happening, the defendants, armed with guns and cutlasses, appeared and pointed their guns at us, ordering us to lie face down.
“They took my car key, laptop, and our phones before driving away in my car.
“I reported the case at the Aramoko Police Station and later at the Rapid Response Squad in Ado-Ekiti.
“A few days later, I received a call that the armed robbers had been arrested in Ibadan.”
To support its case, the prosecution presented five witnesses and various exhibits, including the defendants’ statements, a locally made single-barrel gun, a locally made double-barrel gun, and six live cartridges.
The defense counsels, Adeyinka Opaleke and Ezekiel Agunbiade, did not call any witnesses but pleaded for leniency.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Ogunyemi ruled that the prosecution had provided sufficient evidence to prove a common intention between the defendants to commit armed robbery.
“In this case, I uphold the prosecution’s argument that there is sufficient evidence to infer a common intention between the defendants, warranting their conviction for conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
“On count one (conspiracy), the defendants are each sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
“On count two (armed robbery), the defendants are to be hanged by the neck until they are dead.
“May God have mercy on your souls,” the judge ruled.