Student, 2 others to die by hanging for killing victim over N15,000

Three men— Wasiu Arepo, an aluminium maker; Oluwaseun Idowu, a driver; Ganiyu Hassan, a student and commercial motorcycle rider, were on Wednesday  sentenced to death by hanging for armed robbery and murder.

They were found guilty on four-count charge of armed robbery and murder, contrary to Section  402 subsection 2(a) of the Criminal Code Law of Lagos State, 2011 and Section 319 sub-section 1(a) of Criminal Code Law of Lagos State, 2011.

They committed the offence on February 5, 2011, at Aleke village, Imota at 2.00 a.m.

The convicts were said to have stormed the house of their victims, one Mrs Adijatu Bakare and her husband, Abubakar.

As soon as they stormed the house, they demanded the husband to produce the money he withdrew from the bank a day before.

In the process, one of the accused, Arepo, shot Abubakar in the chest, after which they ransacked the house and carted away N15,000 cash and other valuables, leaving the victim in his pool of blood.

He reportedly died on his way to the hospital.

However, two hours after the incident, the convicts were caught in a nearby community, where they lived and had gone to hide by the vigilante group in the area, after the wife of the victim reported the matter at Imota police station and was able to identify one of the convicts, whom she had seen during the robbery operation.

However, during the trial, the convicts had denied involvement in the incident, claiming that they were at home on the night of the incident.

In his judgment, Justice Lawal  Akapo, said the prosecution had proved beyond doubt that the convicts committed the crime.

“The three accused, agreeing that they slept in the same room on the day of the incident, showed they know each other and were arrested at the same place at 4.00 a.m. on the day of the incident.

“They did not prove that they were somewhere else when the incident happened. The prosecution has proved beyond doubt the offence of conspiracy and murder against the accused.

They are, therefore, sentenced to death by hanging,” the judge pronounced.