Two officers of the Nigeria Safety and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) – Azonta Amarachukwu and Ajayi Adebayo – have been sentenced to demise by hanging for armed theft.
Justice Onyindamola Ogala of the Ikeja Excessive Courtroom sentenced the duo over a two-count cost bordering on conspiracy to commit theft and armed theft levelled towards them by the state.
The choose whereas delivering his judgement mentioned that the prosecutor was in a position to show past affordable doubt that the convicts dedicated the crime.
Messers Amarachukwu and Adebayo have been mentioned to have launched into an unlawful midnight operation on January 20, 2018, into the early hours of the subsequent day.
Nevertheless, at about 2 am, it was gathered that the NSCDC officers armed with weapons and different weapons hijacked an Iveco Container Vans with Registration No. LSR 746 XD.
The car, hijacked by the personnel contained 1,700 cartons of Chelsea and Motion Bitter drinks valued at N2.7 million, waybill, cell phones and money.
The duo later deserted the truck alongside different stolen objects alongside the Yaya Abatan junction while restoration was made by the police.
In his judgement, the choose mentioned, “I convict defendants based mostly on the eyewitness account and different circumstantial proof which have been highlighted within the case by the prosecution.
“It was inconsequential that the car and different belongings stolen have been deserted and recovered later, because the crime was full on the level of the hijack.
“The defendants are hereby discovered responsible as charged and sentenced to demise by hanging,” he delivered.
Reacting to the conviction, Babajide Martins, the director of public prosecution, mentioned the choice to prosecute to the defendants have been justified by the judgement of the court docket.
Martins mentioned, “Members of the general public ought to see regulation enforcement officers as succour in public and never as threat to their public security.