A High Court sitting in Jos has sentenced two men, Dayabu Ahmad and Umar Aliyu, to death by hanging for armed robbery.
The Herald gathered that Justice S.P Gang on Monday, February 3, found the convicts guilty of criminal conspiracy and armed robbery.
Delivering judgment, Gang held that going by the findings of the court, the convicts armed themselves with dangerous weapons, blocked the Barkin Ladi/Mangu road and robbed commuters of their belongings.
According to him, “This sentence is mandatory, as the law states that any person convicted of armed robbery shall be punished with death by hanging.
“The sentence of this court upon you is that you, Dayabu Ahmad and Umar Aliyu, will be hanged until you are dead. May God have mercy on your soul.”
The judge also handed down three years imprisonment on the convicts for criminal conspiracy.
The police charged them with criminal conspiracy and armed robbery, contrary to Sections 6(b) and 1 (1&2) of the Fire Arms Act punishable with death upon conviction.
The prosecution counsel told the court that the convicts on January 26, 2019, on the Barkin Ladi/Mangu Road armed with weapons and dispossessed travelers of their belongings.
The convicts in their confessional statement to the police admitted to committing the crime, blamed the devil for their actions, adding that they were “broke.”
The items stolen by the convicts include 1kg of meat, a gallon of groundnut oil, a packet of Maggi cubes, watermelon and N100, 000 cash.
Counsel to the accused, Thomas Ochigbo, said he would get a copy of the judgment, study it and look for possible grounds of appeal against the death sentence imposed on the convicts.