By Abdulah Olawale
Two years after they were arraigned by the Lagos State government, Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of a Lagos High Court has sentenced two armed robbers to death by hanging.
The convicts, Williams Udoh and Ubong Isaiah, were sentenced to death by hanging by the court after they were found guilty of the amended five count charge of conspiracy and armed robbery brought against them by the state.
However, Udoh earned additional wrath of the law as he was sentenced to 21 years imprisonment for rape of his victim, a house wife on her matrimonial bed.
Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye, who handed down the verdict during a remote court sitting said that the prosecution was able to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
She said: ”A case is not made by the abundant of witnesses but on the quality of the evidence before the court.
”Those who were present when the incident occurred, vivid account of the incident and proper identification of the suspects”, Ipaye said.
The Judge also held that all the victims testified that the convicts were armed with guns and weapons, adding that the mere fact that the weapons used were not tendered before the court does not mean that they weren’t armed.
The convicts were arraigned on June 13, 2017, on a five-count charge of conspiracy, robbery, armed robbery and unlawful sexual intercourse.
Mr Akin George, who prosecuted the case, had told the court, that Udoh and Isaiah, have committed the offence on August 2, 2015.
He told the court that the incident took place between 2am and 5am, at Shepherd Estate, Daramola Street Ijegun, 8 Ologun Street and 10 Aboki Street in Ijegun respectively.
George said that the first convict Williams Udoh also raped a married woman, after robbing her of her jewelry, clothes, one handset and that of her husband.
He said ” Williams Udoh, robbed one Ijeoma Ojiakor of her jewelry, clothes, one handset and also robbed one Michael Ojiakor of his Dell laptop, three Tecno phones and cash of N40,000″.
“Udoh had unlawful sexual intercourse with one Ijeoma Ojiakor 39, without her consent,” George said.
The prosecutor also stated that the convicts and others at large robbed one Esther Adeniran of seven phones and a cash sum of N600,000
The offences according to the prosecution is contrary to and punishable under Sections 297, 295 (2), 258 (1) and 295 (2)(b) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011.
The prosecution called six witnesses and closed its case on June 7, 2018.
The convicts opened their defence on June 7, 2018 and the first convict closed his on January 31, 2019, while the second convict applied to close his defense on March 6, 2019.
The court, after reviewing the case, found the convicts guilty of all the counts and sentenced them accordingly.
