Ekiti: Court sentences 2 to death for armed robbery, kidnapping

Justice was served in Ekiti State on Monday as the High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti handed down a death sentence by hanging to two men convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping.

The convicts, Onileowo Rotimi and Adetola Ayodele, both 42 years old, were found guilty on three counts conspiracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping. In addition to the death sentence, the court also imposed a life imprisonment term for their role in conspiring to commit the crimes.

According to court records, the duo committed the offenses on October 7, 2016, in Abuta, Omuo Ekiti. They were found to have robbed one Mrs. Ajibola Oyelola and, on the same day, abducted her in a premeditated criminal act.

Delivering the judgment, the presiding judge ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt, leading to the convictions and subsequent sentencing.

According to the charge, “The offences are contrary to sections 516, 402 and 403 (A) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012, also Section 3 (a)(b) of the Ekiti State Kidnapping and Terrorism (prohibition) Laws, 2015.”

In her testimony before the court, the victim said, “I was cooking in the kitchen around 8.30pm, suddenly I saw five gunmen in the living room, they asked of my husband, they said he offended their boss and they are here to kill him and since he was not at home, they collected my car key and a sum of N78,000 I have at home.

“They blindfolded me and also tied my hands, I was ordered to lay face down at the back seat. Before I entered the car, I saw my gateman where his hands and legs were tied with rope. I was taken to an unknown place inside bush, I was with them for eight days.

“They called my husband on the fourth day and demanded for a ransom of N40m, but my husband was able to raise and pay N600,000 gathered from friends and families before I was released. They were not masked throughout the time in the bush, I saw their faces clearly”, she said.

To prove his case, the prosecutor, Akinola Abon, called four witnesses and tendered the statements of the defendants as exhibits.

The defendants, who spoke through their lawyer, confessed that they met and became friends in prison before they committed the crimes in question. They called no witness.

In the judgment, Justice Bamidele Omotoso said, “The prosecution has fruitfully proved the case of conspiracy, kidnapping and armed robbery against the defendants. Consequently, the defendants are found guilty of all the offences as charged.

“For kidnapping, the defendants are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment and for armed robbery, the defendants are to be hanged by the neck until they are dead, may God have mercy on your souls”, the judge pronounced.