By Owen Akenzua, Asaba
#TrackNigeria An Asaba High Court in Asaba ,Delta state has sentenced three armed robbers to death by hanging.
Samuel Osadebe, Emeka Obodoechina and Onyelluka Owelleka were sentenced on Monday by Justice Thearesa Dai on charges bordering on armed robbery and Kidnapping.
Prosecution witness, Hygienius Nwadike ( Inspector of Police) testified that the first accused person, Samuel Osadebe with Facebook name Barry lured to Asaba from Owerri under the pretext that he wanted to open his new house in Asaba.
“The accused person sent some one to pick me up in a Honda vehicle and on our way we stopped at a bush and five armed men emerged from the bush with a locally made pistol, sticks and cultlasses. I was beaten up mercilessly and I was dispossessed of my valueables including N3,700,00 after which they robbers demanded a ramson of N2.5million but my family paid N90,000 after negotiation before I was released”, he said.
Inspector Nwadike said that while still in the custody of the abductors, another victim , one Ese Ekong a Youth Corps member was brought to the same place inside the bush around Okwe Oduke community, disclosing that the said Corps member passed out after severe beating and his corpse was dumped in a river in the forest.
But the defense counsel to the accused persons, Barr Kingsley Ekenede however urged the court to discharge and aquit the accused persons based on contradictions in dates when the kidnap of the deceased was reported to the police, and when PDW2 saw the deceased and failure to call materials witness.
Relying on both judicial and statutory authorities, the presiding Judge, Justice Thearesa Dai dismissed the submission of the defense counsel, stressing that the purported contradictions were not fatal to the prosecution’s case.
In a 21 page judgement, Justice Thearesa Dai posited that having considered the cases of the suspects , she is convinced that each of the three accused persons was guilty of offences of armed robbery and kidnapping under Section 1(2) (a) Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision) Act Cap R11 vol 141 Laws of Delta State Anti-kidnapping and Anti-Torrorist Law No 8, 2013.
Reacting to plea of mercy by the defense counsel, the court stated that it wished it could impose terms of years at least to serve as lesson to the accused persons, but said it could not having regard to the fact that the sentence for armed robbery was mandatory death sentence.
Justice Dai decried the rising number of youths indulging in armed robbery, saying that it were the young boys of the new age that are currently engaging in armed robbery business which will eventually Bec their fall.
