Owoeye Ojo, 51, was sentenced to death by hanging by a High Court in Ado-Ekiti for attempted murder and armed robbery. He was convicted for robbing two victims, Funmilayo Adeyemi and Omolola Adesola, of valuables and cash at gunpoint in May 2023. The court found sufficient evidence to prove his involvement, and the prosecution established the charges beyond reasonable doubt.

A High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday sentenced Owoeye Ojo, 51, to death by hanging after he was convicted of attempted murder and armed robbery.

Ojo was arraigned before the court on August 25, 2023, on four charges: attempted murder and armed robbery. The charges stated that on May 21, 2023, at Oluwole Orungbe Street in Ado-Ekiti, Ojo, armed with guns, axes, and cutlasses, along with others at large, robbed and attempted to murder Funmilayo Adeyemi and Omolola Adesola. The defendant and his accomplices allegedly robbed Adeyemi of her handbag, which contained money and a handset valued at N85,000.

In another incident on May 12, 2023, at Ilokun in Ado-Ekiti, Ojo and his accomplices were accused of robbing Adesola of a laptop, phones, flash drives, and N10,000 in cash. These offenses violated sections 314, 312(2)(b), 241, and 312(a) of the Criminal Laws of Ekiti State, 2021.

During her testimony, one of the victims, Omolola Adesola, recounted her ordeal: “I was in my house around 8:00 p.m., about to go to bed, but one of my sons was outside. As I was trying to lock the door from behind, I felt a push from outside. I opened the door to investigate and saw the defendant and others holding guns, cutlasses, and axes. I was ordered to lay face down, and my eldest son was forced to lead them inside the room, where they carted away my valuables and N710,000 in cash. After they left, I reported the incident at the Oke Ila Police Station. A week later, I heard that some armed robbers had been arrested in the neighborhood. When I visited the Rapid Response Squad of the Nigeria Police Force, I was able to identify the defendant as one of the robbers who attacked my house.”

To support her case, the prosecutor, Florence Ajumobi, presented testimony from four witnesses and introduced several pieces of evidence, including a single-barrel gun, live cartridges, the defendant’s statement, and photos of the victims. The defense counsel, Lawrence Fasanmi, did not call any witnesses.

In delivering his judgment, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye stated, “Based on the credible evidence presented before the court, the prosecution has proven beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant was involved in the robbery at the victims' premises. The defendant was one of those who participated in the armed robbery, and there was an agreement between him and others. Therefore, I hereby convict the defendant as charged. Consequently, he is sentenced to death by hanging. May God have mercy on his soul.”