Ekiti State High Court, Ado Ekiti Division, has sentenced two individuals to death by hanging for armed robbery.
The court delivered its judgment imposing an additional seven years of imprisonment for conspiracy on both defendants: 37-year-old Kehinde Adejuwon and 35-year-old ex-convict Dayo Adeniyi.
They were found guilty of robbing residents of Ado Ekiti of valuables, including two vehicles, a laptop computer, mobile phones, bags of rice, tubers of yam, and cash.
The duo were arraigned on 14th February 2023 on five counts of conspiracy, armed robbery, and theft.
According to the charges, Adejuwon and Adeniyi committed their crimes while armed with a gun and a cutlass on 1st January 2023 and previous dates.
They conspired to steal N100,000 and a UBA ATM card from one Adeowo Aderonke.
Similarly, they were accused of robbing Ojo Adeniyi of a Toyota Highlander Jeep, a bag of rice, five tubers of yam, and N156,000, as well as robbing Emmanuel Adebajo Gbenga of a Toyota Camry, a laptop computer, six phones, and N60,000.
The charges against them violated Sections 302(4)(a), 312(2)(a), and 421 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.
One of the victims, Emmanuel Adebajo, testified in court, recounting how he, his wife, and their three children were returning home from church around 2 AM on New Year’s Day.
They were confronted by three armed men at the gate of their house, who ordered them to exit their vehicle.
The assailants stole the car at gunpoint, along with a laptop, six phones, a bunch of keys, and N60,000, all valued at approximately N376,000.
Adebajo reported the incident to the police and, through a tracking device installed in his car, was able to locate it in Offa, Kwara State, along with the defendants.
The police initially transferred the suspects to Ilorin before bringing them to Ado Ekiti.
The car was eventually returned to Adebajo.
The prosecutor, Olasanmi Oluwaseun, called three witnesses and provided evidence, while the defendants, represented by their lawyer, Lawrence Fasanmi, did not present any witnesses.
In his judgment, Justice Olalekan Olatawura remarked that in the second defendant’s confessional statement, he identified himself as an ex-convict.
Justice Olatawura acknowledged the defendants’ plea for mercy but stated that the punishment for armed robbery is mandatory, leaving him with no discretion in sentencing.
