The Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has sentenced three men to death by hanging after they were found guilty of armed robbery and unlawful possession of firearms.
The convicts were arraigned before Justice M.O. Folorunso for robbing a victim of his Infinix Note 11 mobile phone at gunpoint on 2 March 2024, at about 6:00 a.m., in the Oko Erin area of Ilorin.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Folorunso, who became emotional during the ruling, pronounced the death sentence, stating: “The three of you shall be hanged by the neck until you die.”
In the same sitting, the court discharged and acquitted two women—one of whom is pregnant—who were standing trial on a four-count charge of unlawful possession of firearms, aiding and abetting, kidnapping, and criminal conspiracy.
The women, identified as Aisha Haruna and Rabi Umar, were arrested on 25 June 2025 by operatives of the Police Anti-Kidnapping Squad in Babanla, Ifelodun Local Government Area, after the vehicle in which they were travelling was found to contain a rifle and 31 rounds of live ammunition. Other suspects in the vehicle reportedly fled.
During proceedings, the prosecution, led by Senior State Counsel, I. B. Olorundare, told the court that the women were intercepted by police and local vigilantes around 5:00 p.m. over suspected criminal activity.
However, delivering a judgement that lasted over an hour, Justice Folorunso held that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, noting contradictions in police testimony.
The court also observed that although a rifle was recovered from one of the bags, the evidence did not establish whether it was an AK-47 or an AK-49, nor did it sufficiently link the women to an offence.
The judge subsequently discharged and acquitted the two, and ordered that their counsel provide transport fare to enable them return to their homes in Kaduna and Kammbi community, Moro Local Government Area.
