The Effurun High Court I, in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State has convicted and sentenced two men, Emmanuel Ruekpe and Peter Okoro, to death by hanging on a two-count charge of conspiracy and armed robbery.
The court, which was presided over by Justice E. I Oritsejafor, delivered its judgment on April 25..
The two defendants, according to the nominal complainant, Mr Ode Odera Gabriel, boarded his bike on September 24, 2016 at Otu-Jeremi junction and said that they were going to Owhawa town of which he charged them the sum of ₦400 and they agreed to pay.
In the course of the journey, he said the 2nd defendant, after he came out of a compound at Oghoir in Udu Local Government Area on a pretext to see his elder brother.
He stopped the bikeman and claimed that his fez cap had fallen off and he wanted to pick it up.
Thereafter, he swiftly broke a soft drink bottle and, in a bid to avoid being stabbed, the nominal complainant fled.
The nominal complainant (bikeman) recognised the first defendant whom he knew as a local dancer and he subsequently reported the matter to the Oghoir vigilante chairman which eventually led to the arrest of both of them at the Ovwian police station.
Delivering judgment, Justice Oritsejafor noted that the prosecution presented an overwhelming evidence which he said was sufficient to discharge the burden of proof on the case.
Reacting to the judgment, the prosecution, Mr. Ezeana Ejiofor who is a Deputy Director in the state Ministry of Justice, expressed satisfaction with the judgment and appealed to judicial authorities in the country to consider the abolition of death sentence and replace it with alternative life imprisonment.
Ejiofor advised young people to shun anything illegal and be patient as well as work hard to achieve success and never involve in any form of crime that could cut short their lives and take their freedom, dreams and aspirations away from them.
He appealed to government to recognise the honour, dignity and straight forward disposition of the father of the second defendant who, on his own, admitted to the authorities that he saw his son with a bike which fits the description of the stolen motorbike and subsequently took his son to the police station.
He averred that after the court passed the sentence on the second defendant, the relations and friends of the father will condemn his actions and berate him for taking him to the station which will deter other good persons in the society from speaking out against criminality.
The state’s counsel asked that the father of the second defendant be invited and publicly honoured and presented with an award so as to encourage other people to follow his example and speak against criminality and evil in the society which will in turn make society a better place.
He said that the defendants were charged to court on a two-count charge, bordering on conspiracy to commit armed robbery, punishable under section 1(2) (a) of the Robbery and Firearms (special provision) Act , Cap R.II, volume 14 law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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