Crime

Two Sentenced to Death for Armed Robbery in Ekiti

Published by Tope Fakinlede on May 24th, 2024.

Two Sentenced to Death for Armed Robbery in Ekiti

An Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti has sentenced Benjamin Joseph (32) and Stephen Orban (25) to death by hanging for their involvement in an armed robbery incident.

The convicts were charged on December 30, 2022, with four counts including conspiracy and armed robbery.

According to the charges, “On August 16, 2022, along Iluomoba Road in Aisegba Ekiti, they conspired to commit armed robbery. During the robbery, they were armed with locally made guns, knives, and cutlasses and robbed Daramola Christiana and Ajayi Alaba of various items including phones, a power bank, creams, drugs, ATM cards, and ₦105,000 in cash.”

These offenses are in violation of Sections 6(b) and 1(2)(a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Cap. RII, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

One of the victims, a trader, testified that four armed men attacked them at a barricade on Aisegba Ekiti along Omuo-Ado Ekiti Road, seizing their phones, power bank, other valuables, and ₦105,000 in cash before fleeing into the bush. She was rescued by a passerby, while the driver reported the incident to the police.

Prosecutor Ibironke Odetola presented six witnesses and submitted evidence including charms, phones, camouflage underwear, a hammer, three hoods, fake dollar notes, and cutlasses. The defendants, represented by their lawyer Adeyinka Opaleke, did not call any witnesses in their defense.

On Thursday, Justice Blessing Ajileye ruled that the prosecution had proven the case beyond a reasonable doubt, establishing that the armed robbery occurred on August 16, 2022. She declared the defendants guilty and sentenced them to death by hanging, concluding with, “May God have mercy on your souls.”