A 24 year old man, Sola Jegede, has been sentenced to death by hanging in Ekiti State.

Jegede was sentenced on Tuesday, June 29, by the Ekiti state High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti, for dispossessing some men of their phones and money.

He was found guilty of using weapons, including a gun, knife, digger and club to rob Ibukun Ilesanmi, Seun Ilesanmi and Tope Ilesanmi of their phones and undisclosed sums of money.

The presiding judge, Justice Oluwatoyin Abodunde while ruling said;

“The defendant is found guilty as charged on counts one, two and three for the offence of armed robbery.

“He is accordingly convicted and sentenced to death by hanging for the offence of armed robbery and may the Lord have mercy on his soul.”

Jegede was however, discharged and acquitted on counts four and five bothering on rape.

“No reasonable court can convict him of the offence of rape given the totality of the evidence of the prosecution with respect to the offence of rape.

“He is found not guilty and discharged and acquitted on the offence of rape” the judge ruled.

The convict was charged with armed robbery and rape allegedly committed on October 30, 2015, on Oda Ponna Street, Omuo Ekiti.

The prosecutor, Omobola Oyewole, said the offences contravened Section 1(2)(a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Cap. R11 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and Section 358 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012.

Oyewole presented seven witnesses and tendered as exhibits; Blackberry and Nokia phones, a digger and a knife, among others, while the convict’s counsel, Adedayo Adewumi, had no witness.