A Delta High Court sitting in Effurun, Uvwie Local Council has sentenced two men, Emmanuel Ruekpe and Peter Okoro to death by hanging for armed robbery. Justice E. I. Oritsejafor sentenced the convicts after finding them guilty of two-count charge of conspiracy and armed robbery.
The offences are punishable under section 1(2) (a) of the Robbery and Firearms (special provision) Act, cap R.II, volume 14 law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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Delivering his judgment, Justice Oritsejafor noted that the prosecution presented overwhelming evidence, which he said, was sufficient to discharge the burden of proof on the case.
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According to the complainant, Ode Odera Gabriel, the two convicts boarded his motorcycle on September 24, 2016, at Otu-Jeremi junction when they were going to Owhawa town of which he charged them N400 and they agreed to pay
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He stressed that during the course of the journey, the 2nd defendant, who claimed to be going to see his elder brother in a compound at Oghoir in Udu Local Council, asked him to stop on the guise of picking his face cap, which fell down.
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According to him, “the convict on alighting from the motorcycle, broke a Coca Cola bottle and was coming towards me, and in a bid to avoid being stabbed, I ran away and they took my motorcycle. “
The complainant, who said he recognised the first defendant whom he knew as a local dancer, reported the matter to the Oghoir vigilante Chairman, which eventually led to the arrest of both of them at the Ovwian Police Station.
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Reacting to the judgment, the prosecutor, Mr. Ezeana Ejiofor, who is a Deputy Director in the state Ministry of Justice, expressed satisfaction with the verdict.
 He advised young people to shun anything illegal and be patient, and as well work hard to achieve success and never get involved in any form of crime that could possibly cut short their lives and take their freedom, dreams and aspirations away from them.
