PUNCH
An Ikeja Special Offences Court presided over by Justice Mojisola Dada sentenced a 32-year-old vulcaniser, Chidozie Onyinchiz, to death by hanging on Tuesday for robbing a nurse of N57,000.
Justice Dada held that the prosecution had proved the charges of conspiracy, armed robbery, and membership of an unlawful society against Onyinchiz.
Dada said the convict’s attempt to wriggle out of the charges was futile.
This, she said was because he had earlier confirmed to the police at Igando, Lagos, that his victim, Veronica Uwayzor sighted him and they both recognised each other at the time of the offence.
Dada said, “The defendant had stated that the complainant pointed at him as one of the boys armed with a pair of scissors and forcefully snatched her bag containing N57,000 at Akesan Bus Stop.
“The complainant had stated that neither the defendant nor his accomplice, Ediri Endurance, (still at large) wore masks which made it possible for her to easily recognise Onyinchiz few hours after the robbery.
“The first statement of the defendant which he made at Igando Police Station confirmed that he and Ediri went to Akesan Bus Stop on the day of the robbery.
“Onyinchiz admitted to belonging to an unlawful society as he stated that,’this is my first time of coming to Akesan to steal. I was initiated into Eiye Confraternity in 2009 but I have not killed before.’
“The same information of him being a vulcaniser was also contained in the statement he made at Igando police station and the one he made at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad office at Ikeja.
“In his confessional statement, Onyinchiz stated that he met Ediri Endurance in a public bus and Endurance took him to his father’s house after the bus developed fault.
