An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has sentenced a 27-year-old man, Alex Peter, to life imprisonment for armed robbery and nine years for conspiracy.
Peter was arraigned on December 29, 2022, on two counts of conspiracy and armed robbery. According to the charge, he and others still at large conspired to rob one Augustine Steven of his red Bajaj motorcycle, registered AMK 569 UJ, and cash amounting to ₦15,000 on May 16, 2022.
The incident occurred along NTA Road in Ado Ekiti, where the assailants reportedly used dangerous weapons, including a cutlass and an axe. The offences contravened Sections 314 and 312 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.
Testifying in court, the victim, a commercial motorcyclist, recounted how Peter had stopped him for a ride to the Judges’ Quarters area. Upon arrival, another man emerged from the bush with a cutlass, while Peter wielded an axe. The duo dispossessed him of his money and motorcycle before fleeing.
“I saw the defendant’s face clearly because there was light along the road,” the victim said, adding that he later spotted Peter at a restaurant three days after the attack and raised an alarm, leading to his arrest.
Police investigations later led to the recovery of the stolen motorcycle from Peter’s residence.
Prosecutor O.S. Akinwumi presented four witnesses and tendered the defendant’s confessional statements and other exhibits before the court.
While the defence counsel, Stanley Okonkwo, argued that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, the defendant did not call any witness.
In his ruling, Justice Adekunle Adeleye held that the evidence before the court clearly established the defendant’s guilt.
“It is in evidence that the defendant himself confessed that he was one of the armed robbers. I find the defendant guilty as charged,” the judge declared.
Peter was consequently sentenced to nine years imprisonment for conspiracy and life imprisonment for armed robbery.
