For stealing handset, man to die by hanging

IT was the end of the road on Friday for a notorious robber as the Supreme Court sentenced him to death by hanging for stealing a handset.

The apex court ordered that Salisu Isiaka, the ring leader of a notorious armed robbery gang, who has been terrorising the people of Kwara State, should die by hanging.

In a unanimous judgement, the apex court also restored the decision of the High Court which had earlier sentenced the accused person to death.

The convict, who pleaded not guilty, was dissatisfied with the death sentence passed on him by the High Court and appealed to the Court of Appeal, which set aside the decision of the High Court and released the condemned robber from prison.

Trouble started in the evening of August 27, 2009 when one Mulikat AbdulKareem was attacked by Isiaka, armed with a cudgel with which he hit his victim on her head several times until she was dispossessed of her handset.

He was, however, unlucky, when the police who were on patrol in the area got a distress call and moved to the scene.

He was shot on the leg by the police but he managed to escape to a nearby house from where he was arrested by the police.

After his arrest,. a search was conducted on his person and the same Nokia handset, just stolen from the victim as well as the cudgel, were recovered by the police.