An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday sentenced two men, Ojo Olasunkanmi, 31, and Obamoyegun Dele, 31, to death by hanging for armed robbery.
The convicts were initially arraigned on January 31, 2020, alongside Adewale David, 36, who died during the course of the trial, on a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy and armed robbery, later amended on March 25, 2025.
According to the charge, the defendants, armed with guns and axes, committed the offence on August 11, 2018, at Oganganmodu, off Igbole Road in Ido Ekiti, where they conspired to rob residents and dispossessed them of valuables including mobile phones, a Toyota Sienna space bus, a DVD player, and cash.
The prosecution stated that the offences contravened Sections 6(b) and 1(2)(a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Testifying before the court, one of the victims, Bosede Ojo, recounted that the incident occurred around 1 a.m. when the attackers, posing as operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, ordered the occupants to open their gate. She said the assailants subsequently scaled the fence, broke through security barriers, and carried out the robbery.
She added that the matter was reported to the police the following day.
The prosecuting counsel, O.B. Ayeleso, presented nine witnesses and tendered several exhibits, including the defendants’ statements, a black axe, 15 SIM cards, mobile phones, the recovered vehicle, and photographs.
The defendants, who testified in their own defence through their lawyers, Opeyemi Ogunremi and Marcus Oluwatoyin, did not call any witnesses.
Delivering judgment, Justice Bamidele Omotoso held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and resolved all issues in its favour.
He subsequently convicted the defendants and sentenced them to death by hanging, declaring that they should “be hanged by the neck until they are dead.”
