A high court in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday condemned Owoeye Ojo, aged 51, to death by hanging for the crimes of attempted murder and armed robbery.
Ojo was brought before the court on August 25, 2023, facing a four-count charge of attempted murder and armed robbery.
The charges stated that on May 21, 2023, at Oluwole Orungbe Street in Ado Ekiti, armed with firearms, axes, and cutlasses, Ojo and others robbed and attempted to kill Funmilayo Adeyemi and Omolola Adesola.
According to the charges, Ojo and his accomplices, who remain at large, stole Adeyemi’s handbag containing cash and a mobile phone worth N85,000.
Additionally, on May 12, 2023, at Ilokun in Ado Ekiti, Ojo and others at large robbed Adesola of her laptop, mobile phones, flash drives, and N10,000 in cash.
These acts violated sections 314, 312(2)(b), 241, and 312(a) of the Criminal Laws of Ekiti State, 2021.
In her testimony before the court, one of the victims, Omolola Adesola, stated, “I was in my house around 8:00 p.m., I was about to go to bed but one of my sons was outside. I was trying to lock the door from behind and realised that there was a push from outside. I opened the door to know why the door was not closed; I saw the defendant and others holding guns, cutlasses, and axes. I was ordered to lay face down; they ordered my eldest son to lead them inside the room where they carted away my valuables and cash sum worth N710, 000. After they left, I reported the matter at Oke Ila Police Station. A week later, I heard some armed robbers had been arrested in the neighbourhood. When I visited them at the Rapid Response Squad of the Nigeria Police Force office, I saw and identified the defendant as one of the robbers who robbed my house.”
To substantiate the case, prosecutor Florence Ajumobi presented four witnesses and submitted evidence including a single-barrel gun, live cartridges, the defendant’s statement, and photographs of the victims, while the defendant’s counsel, Lawrence Fasanmi, called no witnesses.
In his ruling, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye declared, “With the believable evidence before the court, the prosecution has established that there was robbery on the premises of the victims. The defendant was one of those who took part in the armed robbery, and there was an agreement between him and others. The prosecution had therefore proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the offences as charged. Consequently, the defendant is hereby sentenced to death by hanging, may God have mercy upon his soul.”
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli
