An Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure has sentenced three men to death by hanging after finding them guilty of armed robbery.
The convicts, identified as Uche Onu, Ekene Okorie and Celestine Eze, were prosecuted on charges bordering on conspiracy and armed robbery contrary to the provisions of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act.
The prosecution told the court that the defendants carried out the robbery operation at Gasland Nigeria Limited in Akure on April 25, 2024, at about 3 a.m.
During the attack, the trio reportedly dispossessed the company of a vehicle and a gas cylinder after allegedly overpowering the security guard on duty and inflicting injuries on him with an iron rod.
Investigators later arrested Onu and Okorie in Benin City while they were allegedly in possession of the stolen vehicle and unable to provide a satisfactory explanation of how they acquired it.
The police said information obtained from the suspects led to the arrest of Eze, who was accused of coordinating the robbery. Detectives also recovered the stolen gas cylinder in Lagos following information supplied during the investigation.
The defendants denied involvement in the crime, maintaining that they were arrested separately in Anambra State and Onitsha, where they claimed to be carrying out legitimate occupations.
In his judgment, Justice William Olamide held that the prosecution established the offences beyond reasonable doubt. He ruled that the evidence showed the convicts acted together in executing the robbery while armed. The court subsequently sentenced them to seven years imprisonment for conspiracy and death by hanging for armed robbery.
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