An Ado-Ekiti High Court on Monday sentenced two persons, Deji Owolabi (30) and Opeyemi Oluwakomolafe (22) to death by hanging for armed robbery.

The court also sentenced them to seven years imprisonment each for conspiracy and for escaping from lawful custody at the Ado-Ekiti prison.

Prosecution had earlier told the court that the duo escaped from lawful custody during a jailbreak at the Ado-Ekiti Prison on December 1, 2014.

They robbed a couple on July 14, 2015 at Ilumoba Ekiti where they raped the 35-year-old wife.

The prosecutor, Ilesanmi Adelusi, called five witnesses, and tendered a Dane gun, 10 phone handsets, machete and other incriminating exhibits recovered from the convicts.

The convicts rejected five different lawyers arranged for them and chose to defend themselves.

They also called two witnesses.

Delivering judgement, presiding Justice Monisola Abodunde said: “in my view, the defendants are compulsive pathological liars who have become hardened criminals.

“Rather than mend their ways in prison, they escaped prison during a jailbreak and continued to unleash terror on the community until nemesis caught up with them.

“They are a threat to peaceful existence in our society and they must be made to face the reality of the consequences of their wicked behaviour.

“I find the two defendants guilty as charged and they are sentenced to death by hanging. May the Lord have mercy on your souls.’’ 

(NAN)