An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced a 27-year-old man, Alex Peter, to life imprisonment for armed robbery and an additional nine years for conspiracy.
Peter was first arraigned on December 29, 2022, on a two-count charge of conspiracy and armed robbery.
According to the charge sheet, the convict and others still at large conspired to rob one Augustine Steven on May 16, 2022, in Ado-Ekiti.
They allegedly carted away a red Bajaj motorcycle with registration number AMK 569 UJ and ₦15,000 in cash, while armed with dangerous weapons including a cutlass and an axe.
During the trial, the victim, a commercial motorcyclist, narrated how the defendant had stopped him along NTA Road, Ado-Ekiti, around 8:45 p.m. and requested a ride to the Judges’ Quarters.
“On getting there, he alighted from the motorcycle.
I was expecting him to pay, but suddenly, someone emerged from the bush with a cutlass while the passenger himself wielded an axe,” the victim told the court. “They took my ₦15,000 and the motorcycle.
I recognised the defendant’s face clearly because the road was lit. I later reported the incident at the New Iyin Road Police Station.”
He said three days later, he saw the defendant at a restaurant and, with the help of bystanders, apprehended him before alerting the police.
A subsequent search of the convict’s residence led to the recovery of the stolen motorcycle.
Prosecution counsel, O. S. Akinwumi, called four witnesses and tendered several exhibits, including the defendant’s confessional statement and the recovered motorcycle’s documents.
The defendant, represented by his counsel, Stanley Okonkwo, denied the allegations but called no witnesses in his defence.
Delivering judgment, Justice Adekunle Adeleye held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, noting that the defendant’s confession corroborated the victim’s testimony.
“It is in evidence that the defendant confessed to being one of the armed robbers.
“I find the defendant guilty as charged,” the judge ruled.
The court consequently sentenced Alex Peter to nine years’ imprisonment for conspiracy and life imprisonment for armed robbery.