In a significant ruling, the Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti has sentenced Benjamin Joseph (32) and Stephen Orban (25) to death by hanging for their involvement in an armed robbery incident. The judgment, delivered by Justice Blessing Ajileye, came after the court found the duo guilty of robbing two individuals of cash and valuable items.
The convicts were arraigned on December 30, 2022, facing four counts related to conspiracy and armed robbery. According to the charges, on August 16, 2022, Joseph and Orban conspired to commit armed robbery along Iluomoba Road, Aisegba Ekiti. The court was told that during the robbery, the defendants were armed with locally made guns, knives, and cutlasses, and they robbed Daramola Christiana and Ajayi Alaba of their belongings, including phones, a power bank, creams, drugs, ATM cards, and N105,000 in cash.
The prosecution, led by Ibironke Odetola, provided compelling evidence, including testimonies from six witnesses and various exhibits such as charms, phones, camouflage underwear, a hammer, three hoods, fake dollar notes, and cutlasses. One of the victims, a trader, recounted the harrowing experience, stating that four armed men attacked them at a barricaded point on Aisegba Ekiti along the Omuo-Ado Ekiti Road. They took their phones, power bank, valuables, and N105,000 in cash before fleeing into the bush. The incident was reported to the police by a driver who managed to escape and seek help.
Despite the defense presented by their lawyer, Adeyinka Opaleke, the court found the prosecution’s evidence overwhelming. Justice Ajileye concluded that the prosecution had proven the case beyond a reasonable doubt, affirming the occurrence of the armed robbery on August 16, 2022.
In the final judgment, Justice Ajileye pronounced, “Consequently, the sentence of this court upon Benjamin Joseph and Stephen Orban is that they are hanged by the neck until they are dead. May God have mercy on your souls.”
