A High Court in Niger State has sentenced five men to death by hanging after finding them guilty of armed robbery, criminal conspiracy, and causing grievous hurt.
The convicts, Mikisal Ibrahim, Abubakar Ibrahim, Anthony Ibrahim, Aliyu Mohammed, and Murtala Junaidu, perpetrated the act in the early hours of July 9, 2023, at the residence of Abdulkareem Abdullahi, owner of the Talakawa Pharmacy building in the Tunga area of Minna.
They were sentenced after the court held that the prosecution successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, leading to their conviction on all charges.
According to court proceedings on Tuesday, the defendants were prosecuted by the Niger State Attorney General’s office through Mohammed Kutigi under relevant provisions of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act and the Penal Code Law of Niger State.
Evidence presented before the court showed that the convicts carried out a violent robbery operation in which a family was held hostage for several hours while valuables were carted away.
Prosecutors told the court that the attackers made away with N250,000 in cash, four mobile phones, jewellery, and an HP laptop belonging to members of the household.
The prosecution also said the assailants were armed with dangerous weapons, including machetes, cutlasses, and cudgels, during the attack.
During the trial, four prosecution witnesses testified, including investigating police officers from the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department and members of the victim’s family, who recounted their experience during the robbery.
Delivering judgment, Justice Mohammed Mohammed said the court carefully evaluated all evidence presented during the trial, including witness testimonies, exhibits tendered before the court, and statements made by the defendants to investigators.
“Having perused all the evidence, testimonies and witness accounts, including the statements of the defendants before the police, the issues raised are hereby resolved in favour of the prosecution and against the defendants,” the judge said.
He added that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and therefore secured convictions on all three counts contained in the charge.
“Having resolved the issues raised against the defendants, they are hereby convicted accordingly and sentenced to death by hanging until they are certified dead,” Justice Mohammed declared.