Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja, presided over by Justice Mojisola Dada, on Tuesday sentenced a 32-year-old vulcaniser, Chidozie Onyinchiz, to death by hanging for robbing a nurse of N57,000.
Justice Dada gave the judgement after the prosecution had proved the three-count charge of armed robbery, membership of an unlawful society and conspiracy against the victim beyond all reasonable doubt.
She said the convict’s attempt to wriggle out of the charges was futile as he earlier confessed to the police at Igando, Lagos, that his victim, Veronica Uwayzor sighted him, and they recognised each other at the scene of the incident.
The defendant had noted that the complainant pointed at him as one of the members of a gang which wielded pair of scissors and forcefully snatched her bag containing N57,000 at the Akesan bus stop.
The complainant said neither the defendant nor his accomplice, Ediri Endurance (still at large) put on masks, which made it easy for her to recognise Onyinchiz a few hours after the robbery.
In his first statement at Igando Police Station, the defendant confessed that he is a vulcaniser and that Ediri and he went to the said Bus Stop on the very day of the robbery.
Onyinchiz also admitted to belonging to an unlawful society. He said, “In 2009, I was initiated into Eiye Confraternity, but I have not killed before. This is my first time coming to Akesan to steal.”
