Ekiti News reports that three individuals have been handed the death penalty by hanging by the Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti on Monday.
The court further sentenced one person to 10 years for receiving stolen goods.
The court, however, discharged and acquitted another person of all the charges for being innocent.
The five defendants faced charges on January 30, 2020, encompassing conspiracy, armed robbery, possession of stolen property, and affiliation with a clandestine cult.
According to the charge, the defendants Babalola Bidemi, 28, Akinwale Oluwaseun, 26, Oyebanji Sola, aka Solademmy, 31, Jimoh Azeez, aka Asela, 31, and Ogunlade Babatunde, 28, on March 10, 2018 at Oke Oniyo Street, Ado Ekiti conspired to commit felony, to wit, armed robbery.
On the same date, they did rob Tijani Omowumi and Ogunrinde Olumide of their phones, plasma television, wrist watch, necklace, shirts, trousers, shuttle bag, a cash sum of N5, 000 among others. At the time of the robbery, they were armed with big stick, club, stone, cutlasses and gun. The offences are contrary to sections 6 (b), 1(2) (a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Cap.RII, Vol. 14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and Section 4 (1) of the Secret Cults (Abolition and Prohibition) ( First Amendment) Law, No. 6 of 2017.
While delivering his judgment, the trial judge said that said, “in all, the sole issue for determination is resolved in part in favour of the prosecution, I accordingly order as follows: “The first defendant Babalola Bidemi, though a first offender, was the one that encouraged the offence of armed robbery, in that he knew that the items received by him were products of armed robbery, his sentence should serve as deterrence.
“He is accordingly sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
“The second defendant, Akinwale Oluwaseun, is discharged and acquitted of all the charges while the 3rd, 4th and 5th defendants, Oyebanji Sola, Jimoh Azeez and Ogunlade Babatunde are found guilty as charged.
“They are hereby sentenced to death.”