An Ogun State high court sitting in Abeokuta has sentenced two men, John Inyere and Chibuike Ukwa, to death by hanging for armed robbery and murder of their friend, Chidi Nwite.
Earlier, the prosecutor, T. O. Adeyemi, told the court that the accused committed the offences on September 8, 2013, at Kajola village along the Lagos-Benin expressway.
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Adeyemi, a senior state counsel, said the accused conspired and killed Nwite who had sought their help in selling his car.
He said the late Nwite informed Inyere and Ukwa that he wanted to sell his Mazda 626 saloon and so needed a buyer and that Inyere told him that he had a buyer in Ondo; suggesting that they should go together with the car to collect the money.
He explained that, “On their way to Ogun, the Inyere and Ukwa conspired and robbed the Nwite of his car at gunpoint and used the car’s jack to hit him on the head which led to his death.”
He said the offences contravened the criminal code laws of Ogun (2006) and the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (2004).
Delivering judgement on Friday, Justice Justice Patricia Oduniyi held that the prosecutor had convinced the court beyond reasonable doubt that the defendants were guilty of the offence as charged.
She therefore ruled that, “That you, John Inyere, is sentenced to death by hanging. May God have mercy on your soul.
“That you, Chibuike Ukwa, is sentenced to death by hanging until you are dead. May God have mercy on your soul.”
