Midnight Heist Ends in Death Sentence: Ekiti Court Condemns Four for Armed Robbery
An Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti has sentenced four men to death by hanging for conspiracy and armed robbery, following a violent attack on residents in Ikere Ekiti.
The convicts—Ojo Tope (37), Aderopo Temitope (37), Oyedele Oluwatobi (27), and Damilola Christopher (30)—were found guilty of robbing multiple victims at gunpoint on August 3, 2021, stealing valuables including laptops, phones, jewelry, and cash. The fifth defendant, Ekundayo Ajiboye (29), was acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
One of the victims recounted how the robbers broke into his home at midnight, forcing him out of hiding in the ceiling and assaulting him before looting the house. The police later arrested the suspects, who confessed to the crime.
During the trial, the prosecution, led by Oluwaseun Olasanmi, presented four witnesses and the defendants’ confessional statements. The defense, represented by Adeyinka Opaleke and others, called no witnesses.
In his ruling, Justice Lekan Olatawura declared, “The prosecution has proven the case beyond reasonable doubt. You shall be hanged by the neck until you be dead. May God have mercy on your souls.”