Alfa bags 14 years behind bars for attempted robbery

An Alfa, Taofeek Olawale (Islamic Cleric) was on Wednesday sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempted robbery by an Ikeja High Court.

Olawale who has been in prison custody since 2012 was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and attempted armed robbery.

During the trial, Olawale who insisted on his innocence told the court that he had gone to Lakwe Junction on May 6, 2012, to offer sacrifices on behalf of one his clients.

“I live with my girlfriend at Lakwe.
“On the day of the incident around 12.am, I had gone to the T-junction at Lakwe dressed in a white Jalabiya to offer sacrifices on behalf of my client who was suffering from leg pains and also spiritual problems.

“It was while I was chanting incantations that someone suddenly appeared with a cutlass and struck me on the head. I lost consciousness only to wake up and find myself in the Lagos State Teaching Hospital,” he said.

However in his testimony, the complainant’, Jephthah Ekwueme who was the only prosecution witness told the court that on the day of the incident he was lying in bed when someone shone a torch light through his window and commanded him to open the door.

“I heard more than one voice commanding me to open the door to my apartment that they were armed robbers.

“I grabbed a cutlass and swung it through the window and it hit one of them. They thereafter took to their heels and it was then I opened the door and shouted for my neighbors. I pursued one of them who happened to be the defendant who I had injured with the cutlass who was also wearing a long white garment.

“He ran into the next compound and I followed him there. I managed to subdue him until the police arrived,” he testified.

In her judgement, the presiding judge, Justice Raliat Adebiyi found the defendant guilty on the grounds that the prosecution was able to prove its case of attempted robbery against the defendant.

“The only witness in the matter told the court that the defendant was wearing a white garment when he was caught on the night of the incident, and this was also corroborated by the defendant who also affirmed that he was wearing a white jalabiya on the night of the incident.

“The defendant was also caught at the scene of the crime with the witness, who is also the victim identifying him,” the Judge ruled.

Justice Adebiyi thereafter sentenced the convict to 14 years in prison on both counts.