An Ekiti State High Court has sentenced four persons to death by hanging for conspiracy and armed robbery.

Justice Lekan Olatawura convicted Oyedele Oluwatobi, 27; Damilola Christopher, 30; Tope Ojo, 37; and Temitope Aderopo, 37, on Thursday for their involvement in an armed robbery on August 3, 2021, at Ilutitun Street in Ikere Ekiti.

The four men were arraigned in April 2024 on five charges related to conspiracy and armed robbery.
The court heard that the convicts, while armed with guns, conspired to rob their victims, namely Idowu Damilola, Ganiyu Abimbola, Idowu Tolulope, and Taye Adegboye.

The items stolen included phones, power banks, laptops, a charger, a sound system, jewelry, and a sum of N136,000.

Idowu Damilola, one of the victims, testified that she was asleep when the robbers broke into her room.

“I was forced down from the ceiling where I hid myself when the intruders threatened my brother with a gun,” she said.

In his ruling, the judge held that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused were guilty of the offences, noting that the first to fourth defendants had individually confessed to the crime.

Justice Lekan Olatawura sentenced Ojo, Aderopo, Oluwatobi, and Christopher to death by hanging.

The judge concluded, “May God have mercy on your souls.”