Alleged armed robbery: Court fixes June 25 to rule on trial -within -trial
Ruling
By Edith Nwapi
Abuja, May 14, 2018 (NAN ) An FCT High Court, Maitama, on Monday adjourned until June 25 to rule on trial -within –trial in a case of alleged armed robbery and receiving stolen property preferred against three defendants.
Justice Peter Affen adjourned the case after counsel in the matter adopted their final written addresses on the trial -within -trial.
The defendants- Omenini Bayallah, 22, was dragged to court by the Police, alongside one Paul Sunday, 20, and Dahiru Yusuf, 40, on a three-count charge, bordering on armed robbery, conspiracy and receiving stolen property.
Mr Ogede Mohammed, counsel to Bayallah and Sunday, had objected to Mr Stanley Nwodo, the prosecuting counsel, tendering the alleged statement made by the first and second defendants.
Affen ordered for trial – within -trial to ascertain the voluntariness of the statements.
Earlier when Bayallah was led in evidence by Mohammed, he told the court that ” I am not the maker of the statement.
“The signature is mine, but there was nothing written on the statement sheets at the time I was asked to sign.
” I was taken to a room and was asked my name, occupation and address, and I was threatened and forced to write, ” he said.
When he was questioned by Nwodo, the prosecuting counsel, whether a reasonable person can sign a statement he did not write, the defendant insisted that he never made the statement.
The second defendant, Sunday, also told the court that he was not the maker of the statement though the signature was his.
Nwodo had earlier informed the court that on July 14, 2017, at about 2a.m., Bayallah and Sunday, at Maitama, Abuja, robbed one Mrs Ogechukwu Irono.
According to the prosecutor, they robbed Irono of her Samsung galaxy Note 3; 25, 000 U.S. dollars, jewelries valued at N32 million, and other personal items.
Nwodo alleged that Dahiru Yusuf, on the same date received the stolen jewelries.
The offences contravened the provisions of Section 6 of the Armed Robbery and Firearms Act. (NAN )
NEO /OU
-======
Edited by Obike Ukoh
===============