In a recent development, an Ekiti High Court in Ado-Ekiti has decided to sentence three individuals to death by hanging for their involvement in armed robbery.
The court proceedings involved five accused individuals: Bidemi Babalola, 28, Oluwaseun Akinwale 26, Sola Oyebanji (also known as Solademmy) 31, Azeez Jimoh (also known as Asela) 31, and Babatunde Ogunlade, 28. These individuals were brought before Justice Lekan Ogunmoye.
The charges against them, which include conspiracy, armed robbery, possession of firearms, receiving stolen properties, and membership of a secret cult, date back to January 30, 2020.
After a thorough examination of the case, the judge delivered the following verdict:
“The first defendant, Babalola Bidemi, who despite being a first-time offender, was found to have encouraged the armed robbery. He has been sentenced to 10 years in prison as a deterrent.”
“The second defendant, Akinwale Oluwaseun, has been acquitted of all charges, while the 3rd, 4th, and 5th defendants – Oyebanji Sola, Jimoh Azeez, and Ogunlade Babatunde – have been found guilty and sentenced to death.”
During the trial, the Prosecution counsel, Dolapo Oyewole, presented evidence showing that the convicts committed the crimes on October 3, 2018, on Oke Oniyo Street, Ado-Ekiti.
Oyewole called upon five witnesses and submitted various items such as the defendants’ police statements, phones, wraps of Indian hemp, a motorcycle, and its ignition key as exhibits to support the case.
According to the prosecution, the convicts conspired to commit armed robbery and during the incident, they stole items including phones, a plasma television, a wristwatch, a necklace, clothes, a bag, and a sum of N5000 in cash from the victims.
The defendants were found to be armed with weapons such as big sticks, clubs, stones, cutlasses, and a gun during the robbery.
The prosecution argued that these actions violated specific laws outlined in the Robbery and Firearms Act and the Secret Cults Law.
Despite the defendants presenting their own evidence and witnesses during the trial, the court reached a decision based on the presented facts.