By Alo Abiola
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – An Ado Ekiti High Court has sentenced a 21-year-old man, Isa Abdulkareem to death by hanging for armed robbery.
Justice Oluwatoyin Abodunde who presided over the case and pronounced the death penalty on Abdulkareem said, “I found the defendant guilty and convicted, he is sentenced to death by hanging and may the Lord have mercy on his soul”.
The offence of armed robbery, according to the prosecutor, Mr Gbemiga Adaramola was contrary to Sec.(402)(2) of the Criminal Code Cap C16, Laws of Ekiti State Nigeria.
During the robbery operations which took place at Oke-Ureje, along Igirigiri Road, Ado Ekiti on 19th and 23rd of December, 2016 offensive weapons such as gun and cutlass were found on him.
On the said dates, he robbed one Adeya Olalekan of a sum of N74,000, Infinix Note 2 phone among others and one Olomola Taiwo of a sum of N110,000 and 2 Techno Y6 phones respectively.
He was arrested by the community members during a combined vigilante exercise.
When interrogated, the defendant who confessed to the crime, took security agents to the hideout where he and members of the armed robbery gang do meet and kept their weapons and ammunitions.
Items recovered from the hideout include, four dane and toy guns, locally made pistols, four Nokia phones, 4Techno phones, masks, cutlasses, charms, axe, victim’s wife’s headgear used to wrap the money, cartridges, expended cartridges, knives, pellets, cash sum of N10,000 among others.
The prosecutor, Adaramola called four witnesses while all exhibits as stated above were tendered including his confessional statements to the police.
The defendant who was first arraigned on 8th January, 2018, where the charges was read and interpreted to him though, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The defendant was led in evidence by his counsel Mr. Adeyinka Opaleke and called no witness. (Leadership).
