The 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.

Ms Dada held that the prosecution had proved the three-count charge of conspiracy, armed robbery and membership of an unlawful society against Mr Onyinchiz.

The judge 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 crime.

“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,” she noted.

The state prosecutor, Afolake Onayinka, had earlier told the court the convict committed the crimes with an accomplice still at large on August 12, 2018.

Mr Onayinka submitted that the complainant ran into a white garment church after the defendant robbed her.

The shepherd of the church alerted landlords in the area, which led to the arrest of Mr Onyinchiz while Mr Endurance escaped, she said.

(NAN)