Ondo Court Sentences Lecturer to Death by Hanging for Armed Robbery

An Ondo State High Court located in Akure has pronounced the death penalty by hanging on a lecturer named Shittu Isiaka, affiliated with the College of Health Technology in Ijero-Ekiti, Ekiti State, after convicting him of armed robbery and conspiracy to engage in such activities.

The judgment was delivered by Justice O. M. Adejumo, who found the defendant guilty on two counts related to conspiracy and armed robbery.

Despite this, the court acquitted him of a third charge concerning endangerment of life or health, citing the prosecution's inability to substantiate that claim beyond a reasonable doubt.

Isiaka was first brought before the court on November 26, 2018, facing a three-count indictment that included conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery, and endangerment of life.

During the proceedings, the prosecution outlined an incident that occurred on July 5, 2017, at approximately 11 a.m., where the defendant, alongside accomplices who remain unidentified, reportedly robbed Olatunji Olowoyeye of his Nissan Cabstar vehicle (registration number XJ 214 KTU) at gunpoint along the Akure–Ilesha Expressway.

Olowoyeye testified that he was a commercial driver familiar with the accused. He recounted that the defendant and two others hired him in Ilesa to transport cocoa beans from Igbara-Oke for a fare of N20,000. Upon completion of the trip, they initially paid him N8,000, promising to settle the remaining balance later.

The situation escalated when they instructed him to reverse his car into a secluded area near a primary school in Ibuji. Olowoyeye conveyed to the court that one of the men seated beside him suddenly brandished a firearm while the defendant occupied the front passenger seat.

According to his testimony, the men forcibly ousted him from the vehicle, seized his keys, phone, and cash, bound him, and left him abandoned in the bush. The victim further alleged that the defendant administered an injection before restraining him to a tree.

Olowoyeye described later managing to crawl through the underbrush until he reached a main road, where he was eventually found by police officers who facilitated his transfer to a hospital.

He reported experiencing severe health issues following the incident, including passing bloody urine for days and spending around 15 days hospitalized.

A police witness, Inspector Kehinde Omotosho, testified that patrol officers discovered the victim in a compromised state near the Igbara-Oke Police Station, where he subsequently made statements implicating Isiaka.

Throughout the trial, Isiaka denied all allegations against him, asserting he had no involvement in the robbery and that he was not qualified to administer injections as he is not a medical professional. He further argued that no syringe or evidence linking him to the crime was presented by investigators. Additionally, he pointed out the lack of medical documentation certifying that the victim had been injected with a harmful substance.

In its ruling, the court concluded that the prosecution had not met the burden of proof regarding the endangerment of life as dictated by Section 135(1) of the Evidence Act. Justice Adejumo remarked that the absence of an eyewitness account regarding the injection, coupled with the lack of a medical report verifying the victim's hospitalization, rendered the claims unsubstantiated.

The court stated that it would be imprudent to base a conviction solely on the testimonies of the victim and another witness without corroborating medical evidence. Consequently, doubts arising from the evidence must favor the defendant regarding the third count, leading to his acquittal on that specific charge.

However, the court found robust evidence connecting Isiaka to the robbery and subsequently convicted him of both conspiracy to commit armed robbery and armed robbery itself. As a result, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiracy and to death by hanging for the armed robbery offense.

The judge concluded the sentencing by stating that the convict should "be hanged by the neck until he is dead," while also offering a prayer for mercy for his soul.

The prosecution was represented by John Dada Joshua, while the defendant was defended by O. I. Tiwo.