Four people were sentenced to death by hanging on Thursday by the Ado Ekiti Division of the Ekiti State High Court for the crimes of armed robbery, murder, and conspiracy.
In addition, the defendants were found guilty of attempted murder and given a life improvement sentence by the court.
They are Ojo Oba, Lasisi Afeez, Adebayo Ebenezer, and Ogunleye Sola. The charge stated as follows: “On May 29, 2017, at Oyan Orete Camp, Ijan Ekiti, the defendants committed the offences where the camp’s occupants were robbed at gunpoint and one Olasunkanmi Ramon was murdered while the defendants attacked Alhaji Adeleye Usman on the head with a cutlass.”
“The offences committed by the four defendants are contrary to Section 6(b) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Cap. R11, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004; Murder and Attempt to Murder contrary to sections 319(1) and 320 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap.C16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.”
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Julius Ajibare, who prosecuted the case for Ekiti State, called five witnesses and tendered seven exhibits to prove his case.
The defendants spoke through their counsel, Chris Omokhafe and Oluwaseun Banji, who gave evidence in their defence and called two other witnesses.
In the judgment, Justice Olukayode Ogundana held that the prosecution proved all the offences against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge consequently convicted all the defendants and sentenced them to death by hanging for the offences of conspiracy, armed robbery and murder just as he sentenced them to life imprisonment for attempted murder.
