NAN-H-49
Robbery
By Moji Eniola
Ikeja, Feb. 13, 2017 (NAN) An Ikeja High Court has reserved judgment for Feb. 20 in a robbery case involving three men, who allegedly broke into a woman’s house at Oniru in Ikoyi, Lagos, late evening and robbed her of property including jewellery worth N18.4 million.
The accused — Amos Osang, Okafor Nduka and Ndu Johnson — were arraigned for a two-count charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and armed robbery.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the plea of the accused was not taken and had been remanded in Kirikiri Prison since November 2012.
The stolen items were tendered in court and admitted as exhibits before they were returned to the owner.
Just before the judgment scheduled for Monday was to be given, Justice Raliatu Adebiyi said the court had found the accused guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery and not the initial charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and armed robbery.
She said the prosecution was unable to prove beyond reasonable doubts that the accused were armed when they committed the offences.
Adebiyi said:“The court has found out that the prosecution was unable to prove beyond reasonable doubts the that the accused were armed.
“Proofs were not provided before this court about the knife allegedly used in the crime, the alleged knife wounds inflicted on the complainant’s driver and no medical report of the alleged knife injuries.
“As a result, instead of the initial charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and armed robbery, the defendants will be convicted for conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery.
“The defendants are hereby convicted of the offences of conspiracy to commit robbery contained in Section 297 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State and robbery contained in Section 294 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.”
Counsel to the accused, Mr C.C. Odo-Micheal, pleaded with the judge to temper justice with mercy.
“My Lord, we know the conditions of our prisons, keeping them longer in the prison will expose them to the various vices.
“We plead with Your Lordship to temper justice with mercy, they did not benefit from the crime and all that was recovered had been returned to the owner,” he said.
But this did not go down well with the State Prosecutor, Mr Akin George, who said: “It is appalling that counsel to the convicts is saying that they did not benefit from the crime.
“The purpose of the law is to rid the land of bad people; My Lord, the full weight of the law should be brought upon them.”
He said the men committed the offences at 9.30 p.m. on Nov. 25, 2012 at No. 40, Alaba Oniru Road, Oniru.
“They broke into the home of the complainant (name withheld), beat up and stabbed her driver and tied him in one of the bathrooms in the house.
“They demanded from the woman and her housekeeper cash and valuables in the house and they took away N431, 260 cash, laptops, mobile phones and jewellery worth N18 million,” George told the court.
George said the accused had their luck run out when their get-away vehicle was stopped and searched by policemen on patrol.
Justice Adebiyi then adjourned the case to Feb. 23 for sentence. (NAN)
MAE/DA
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Editing by Dele Akinsola