Court Sentences Man to Life Imprisonment for Armed Robbery in Ekiti
An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has sentenced a 27-year-old man, Alex Peter, to life imprisonment for armed robbery.
Peter, who was arraigned on December 29, 2022, faced two counts of conspiracy and armed robbery. In addition to the life sentence, he was handed a nine-year jail term for conspiracy.
According to the charge, the convict and others still at large conspired to rob one Augustine Steven on May 16, 2022, at Ado Ekiti. They reportedly stole a red Bajaj motorcycle with registration number AMK 569 UJ and cash amounting to ₦15,000 while armed with a cutlass and an axe — offences contrary to Sections 314 and 312 of the Ekiti State Criminal Law, 2021.
The victim, a commercial motorcyclist, told the court that the robbery took place around 8:45 p.m. along NTA Road, Ado Ekiti, on the said date.
“The defendant stopped me to take him to Judge’s Quarters. On getting there, he alighted from the motorcycle. I was expecting him to pay, but instead I saw somebody who emerged from the bush with a cutlass. I turned to the passenger, who already held an axe. They collected N15,000 cash from me and took my motorcycle away. I saw the defendant’s face clearly because there was light along the road. I reported the matter at the New Iyin Road Police Station,” he said.
“On the third day, I saw the defendant at a restaurant and grabbed him, some passersby helped me call the police. He initially denied robbing me of my motorcycle, but it was later found in his house when the police went to search his house.”
The prosecutor, O.S. Akinwumi, called four witnesses and tendered the defendant’s statements, motorcycle particulars, among others, as exhibits.
The defendant, however, spoke in his own defence through his lawyer, Stanley Okonkwo, and he called no witness
In his judgment, Justice Adekunle Adeleye found the defendant guilty of the charges and sentenced him accordingly.
“It is in evidence that the defendant himself confessed that he was one of the armed robbers. I find the defendant guilty as charged. On the whole, the defendant is hereby sentenced to nine years imprisonment for conspiracy and life imprisonment for the offence of armed robbery,” the judge said.
