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Kwara state High Court sitting in Ilorin on Monday convicted and sentenced a group of three men armed robbery gang to death by hanging for armed robbery and possession of a gun.
The offence, which was committed on March 2, 2024, at Oko Erin area in Ilorin, the state capital, at about 6:00 am, involved robbing of the victim of his Infinix Note 11 phone, with the use of a gun.
Delivering the judgement, in the case between the people of Kwara state vs: 1. John Ndubusi Nbakogu 2. Toheeb Suleiman 3. Bolakale Quadir (A.K.A Adaka) Justice M.O. Folorunsho, who was emotional while passing the sentence, wept and said in the sentence that the three young men would be hanged by the neck until they die.
Also in another case, Justice Folorunsho discharged and acquitted two young women, including a pregnant mother, arrested for unlawful possession of firearms, aiding and abetting kidnapping, and criminal conspiracy to commit an illegal act.
The women, Aisha Haruna and Rabi Umar Murtala, were arrested by men of the anti kidnapping squad on June 25, 2025, in Babanla community, Ifelodun local government area of the state, while in a vehicle among others who fled, where AK-47 rifle and 31 live ammunition were found in the bag of one of the women.
The judge, while delivering the judgment that lasted over one hour, said that the prosecution failed to prove the allegations against the women in its evidence before the court, saying that the evidence was not credible.
The prosecution, led by the Senior State Counsel in the Ministry of Justice, I. B.Olorundare, had said that the young women were arrested by the police and members of a local vigilante team at about 5:00pm in a vehicle that was carrying some young women whose movement looked suspicious and was thus intercepted.
The judge, in his judgment, ruled that the investigation and testimony of the police witnesses were not hearsay. He, however, held that the evidence given before the court were contradictory.
Justice M.O. Folorunsho, who said that the defendant admitted that one English rifle was found in her bag during the search by the police, added that evidence of the prosecution witnesses did prove the charge that the women were arrested with AK 47, rather the evidence of the prosecution showed that the women were found to be in possession of AK 49, which is not the offence charged.
Due to the variance in the offence charged and the evidence adduced by the prosecution, he held that the prosecution did not prove that there was evidence to commit an illegal act by the women.
The judge, in his judgment that lasted 26days from the day of arraignment, therefore, discharged and acquitted the young women.
He also directed their counsel to provide them with transportation fare to their places: Kaduna and Kanmbi community, Moro local government area, respectively.
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