By Ise-Oluwa Ige

ABUJA— The Supreme Court, last Friday, okayed death by hanging for a convicted armed robber, Mr Olayinka Afolalu, for dispossessing a woman of her N1,750.00 at gun point.

The apex court while confirming the death sentence passed on him by the lower court said his appeal to overturn the verdict lacked merit.

The background of the incident which led to Afolalu’s travail was that on 27th April, 2002, he and three others still at large, while armed with guns, carried out a robbery operation along Igede Road, Ilawe-Ekiti in Ekiti State.

They robbed one Mercy Ogunshakin of N1,750.00 and raped her daughter, Ifedayo Ogunshakin. He was immediately arrested while other members of the gang escaped. He was charged with two counts charge of armed robbery.

Count one reads, “Robbing one Idowu Fanikun (F) of N225.00 with offensive weapons to wit guns thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(2)(a) of the Robbery and Firearms Special Provisions Act CAP 390 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 as amended by the Tribunals Certain Consequential Amendments Decree No. 62 of 1999.”