An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has sentenced two ex-convicts, Onileowo Rotimi and Adetola Ayodele, both aged 42, to death by hanging for armed robbery and kidnapping.
The duo were convicted on a three-count charge of conspiracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping. In addition to the death sentence for robbery, they were also handed life imprisonment for conspiracy and kidnapping.
According to court records, the incident occurred on October 7, 2016, in Abuta, Omuo-Ekiti, where the convicts conspired to rob and kidnap one Mrs. Ajibola Oyelola. The charges were filed under Sections 516, 402, and 403(A) of the Ekiti State Criminal Code Law (2012), and Section 3(a)(b) of the Ekiti State Kidnapping and Terrorism (Prohibition) Law, 2015.
During the trial, the victim testified that she was cooking around 8:30 p.m. when five armed men stormed her living room asking for her husband, claiming he had wronged their boss. When they found he wasn’t home, they stole her car key and N78,000 cash, then abducted her.
“They blindfolded me, tied my hands, and took me to the bush. I was held for eight days,” she told the court. “They demanded a ransom of N40 million, but my husband managed to raise N600,000 from friends and family, which led to my release. They never covered their faces—I saw them clearly.”
The prosecution, led by Akinola Abon, presented four witnesses and submitted the defendants’ confessional statements as evidence. The defense admitted the men met and became friends while in prison and offered no further defense or witnesses.
Delivering judgment, Justice Bamidele Omotoso said, “The prosecution has successfully proved the charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and armed robbery. The defendants are hereby found guilty.”
“For the crime of kidnapping, they are sentenced to life imprisonment. For armed robbery, the sentence is death by hanging. May God have mercy on your souls,” the judge concluded.