By Austin Ogwuda, Asaba
A High court of Justice sitting at Isiokolo, Delta State has sentenced Etanuwoma Ogheneoro, a 25- year old commercial motorcycle, otherwise known as ‘okada’ rider, to death for robbing a fellow okada rider.
Prosecution had told the court that the convicted armed robber, in connivance with others at large on the 30th of January 2010 at Kokori within the Isiokolo judicial division robbed a fellow okada man, Felix Itirikpe of an undisclosed amount and other valuables, thereby “thereby committed an offence punishable under section 6 (b) and 1 (2) (a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act Cap R11 Volume 14 laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004”.
Prosecution led by Mrs. C.E. Eronmwon, deputy Director Ministry of Justice called two witnesses to prove its case while the convict called no witness but testified for himself.
According to prosecution, “the convict abandoned his own okada and boarded another while pretending to a passenger but half way into the journey at a lonely path he signaled to his gang members who came out from hideout and they disposed their victim of the said motorcycle”.
He was however arrested with the aid of the local vigilante and later handed over to the police and was equally identified in court by the said victim during trial.
The trial judge, Justice A.O. Omamogho in delivering judgment Tuesday stated that “prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt ingredients of the offence against the accused.
“I disbelieved the evidence of the accused while I hold that prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt ingredients of the offence of conspiracy against the accused the convict with two others now at large robbed their victim of a SkyGo motorcycle while armed”.
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