An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced two men, Ojo Tosin Olasunkanmi, 31, and Obamoyegun Dele, 31, to death by hanging for conspiracy and armed robbery.
The judgment was delivered by Justice Bamidele Omotoso, who found the defendants guilty of multiple counts relating to a violent robbery attack carried out in 2018.
The convicts were initially charged alongside Adewale David, 36, who died while the case was still ongoing. They were first arraigned on January 31, 2020, and the charge was later amended on March 25, 2025, to six counts under Sections 6(b) and 1(2)(a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act.
According to the charge, the defendants, armed with guns and axes, attacked a residence at Oganganmodu, off Igbole Road, Ido-Ekiti on August 11, 2018. Items stolen during the raid included mobile phones, a Toyota Sienna Space Bus, cash sums totaling ₦290,000, a laptop, DVD player, and other valuables.
A victim, Ojo Bosede, told the court that she and her family had travelled from Lagos for a wedding in Igbole-Ekiti when the attack occurred around 1:00 a.m. She testified that the attackers initially posed as officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), claiming they were acting on intelligence about hidden drugs.
She added that after the occupants refused to open the gate, the attackers forced entry by scaling the fence, breaking the burglary proof, and robbing the house before escaping with her vehicle.
The prosecution, led by O.B. Ayeleso, called nine witnesses and tendered several exhibits, including the defendants’ statements, weapons, mobile phones, SIM cards, the recovered vehicle, and photographic evidence.
The defence counsel, Ogunremi Opeyemi and Oluwatoyin Marcus, represented the defendants, who testified in their own defence but called no additional witnesses.
In his ruling, Justice Omotoso held that the prosecution had successfully proved the charges beyond reasonable doubt, noting that conspiracy could be inferred from the coordinated actions of the defendants.
He consequently convicted both men as charged and sentenced them to death by hanging, stating: “May God have mercy upon your souls.”