A 32 year old man, Danladi Miji of Bariki Cham, Balanga Local Government Area, Gombe state has been sentenced to death by hanging for armed robbery.
Justice Abdul-Azeez Waziri, led High Court handed down the verdict on Thursday after Danladi was tried and found guilty of the offences of conspiracy and armed robbery, and pronounced that the convict shall be hung by the neck until he dies.
Danladi and two others now at large were said to have conspired and robbed with offensive weapons such as guns, knives among others and did rob Samaila Yahaya and Sani Yahaya of recharge cards valued at #1million, cash and a laptop.
In his statement, Danladi narrated that he was called by Danjuma, a friend to come down to Gundili village in Tingno, Lamurde Local Government, Adamawa state, saying that when he came, Danjuma informed him that he is an armed robber and that he wants him to join him and his team.
He stated that he accepted to join them because he was afraid of him and did not want him to know, stating that he was at home one day when member of the gang by name Reuben of the same address called him on phone and asked him to come to Tingno district as they were all waiting for him.
According to him, upon reaching there, he met Danjuma, Reuben, Ali, Danfulani and Amos and that they all conspired and hid at the river behind primary school by 8:00pm on the 26th December, 2015, explaining that Danjuma being the leader of the gang, brought 3 rifles and gave it to Danfulani, Amos, Reuben and Ali was holding a knife.
He said that he was assigned to be in custody of the money and other property they will get from their operation if finally they succeeded.
He added that he was asked to go and wait for Samaila and Sani, until when they close from shop and follow them at the back which he did, saying that immediately when they reached where other members of the gang were hiding,they got them arrested.
The convict further narrated that they took their victims to their house and asked them and other family members to lie down flat and threatened to shoot anybody that tries to move.
He confessed that Danfulani and Ali went to the main building of the house and himself and Amos who was holding a rifle were guarding the two men and that few minutes later somebody grabbed him from the back and started beating him.
A prosecution witness who testified in court said that while two of the suspects escaped, two others were lynched by the villagers at the police station, and that it is the convict that survived.
When he was arraigned before the court earlier, he pleaded not guilty and called 5 witnesses who testified in court, while the prosecution on its part, called 3 witnesses and tendered the statement of the convict in evidence.
While delivering its judgement on the matter on Thursday, the court presided by Justice Abdul-Azeez Waziri, declared that the court has found him guilty and sentenced him to death by hanging until certified death by a medical doctor.
Justice Waziri, held that the essential ingredients constituting the alleged offences upon which the accused person/defendant is charged have been proved beyond reasonable doubt and consequently convicted him on both counts.
According to him, the evidence of the prosecution witnesses and the statement of the convict show that there was an armed robbery on that fateful day, and that it is not in dispute that the robbery was an armed robbery as testified by the witnesses as well as the statement.
Reacting on the verdict, counsel to the convict, F. A . Ogbe of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria appreciated the court for the verdict, while on her part, counsel to the prosecution, L. M. Dodo, thanked the court.
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