A bricklayer is facing death sentence after he was found guilty of armed robbery and armed robbery
A bricklayer identified as Femi Adebowale was reportedly given a death sentence on Tuesday, June 28, when he was brought before Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of the Lagos high court, Ikeja, for armed robbery and conspiracy.
Adebowale was found guilty on four counts of conspiracy and armed robbery preferred against him by the Lagos state government.
According to the judge, the minimum penalty according to law, is a death sentence for each of the four count offences the convict was charged with. Here’s what she was quoted as saying “In accordance with the provision of the law, you are hereby sentenced to death by hanging by the neck until death. May the Lord have mercy on us”.
According to the charges read out by the prosecution, Mr Akin George, Adebowale had allegedly robbed one Alhaja Amudalat Olowo-Eyo of over N500,000 worth of gold jewelries, N350,000 cash and other valuable documents at gunpoint.
Adebowale along with his other partners who are still at large, robbed their victims at their residence, 10 Aiyetolu street, Abule Egba, between 1am-2am on December 28, 2012.
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The complainant, Alhaja Olowo-Eyo, had told the court during the trial, how Adebowale along with other people stormed her residence, and dispossessed her of her personal belongings. She also shared how she and her family were gathered in their parlour and threatened with death should they refuse to cooperate. She had identified Adebowale as one of the bricklayers who had been brought in to handle some renovations in their house by her landlord, two days before the robbery took place.
Alhaja continued by saying her husband suddenly found the courage to hold down one of the robbers, while she decided to emulate him by grabbing and holding another one beside her.
The robber panicked and shot her twice in the chest and escaped while another one came back 20 minutes later to shoot sporadically into the apartment, hitting Alhaja’s son and daughter on the thigh and back/stomach respectively. The family were later treated at the General hospital while the case was reported to the Ile Epo police station.
Adebowale’s alibi said he had been in Akure where he had gone for his marriage introduction ceremony, on the day of the incident.
Dismissing the alibi, Justice Ipaye also said the evidence evidence provided by the supposed father-in-law wasn’t credible, as there’s no way he could have met his proposed son-in-law Adebowale, for the first time ever on the day of the introduction ceremony.
Adebowale pleaded not guilty when he was brought before the court in 2015.
