Lecturer Sentenced to Death for Armed Robbery in Ondo

A court ruling in Ondo State has drawn national attention after a lecturer was sentenced to death over an armed robbery case.

The verdict followed years of legal proceedings and testimony from witnesses who described a violent robbery along a major highway in southwestern Nigeria. The case highlights how courts assess evidence and deliver judgment in serious criminal trials.

Here is what the court revealed in the Ondo court lecturer armed robbery case.

An Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure has sentenced a lecturer at the College of Health Technology in Ijero Ekiti, Shittu Isiaka, to death by hanging after finding him guilty of armed robbery.

The judgment was delivered by Justice O. M. Adejumo after the court concluded hearings in the Ondo court lecturer armed robbery case.

The defendant was convicted on two charges:

• Conspiracy to commit armed robbery
• Armed robbery

However, the court dismissed a third charge related to endangering life or health after determining that the prosecution did not prove the allegation beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Ondo court lecturer armed robbery case began after Isiaka was arraigned on November 26, 2018.

Prosecutors told the court that the crime occurred on July 5, 2017, around 11 a.m. along the Akure Ilesha Expressway near Ibuji.

According to the prosecution, the victim, Olatunji Olowoyeye, was robbed of his Nissan Cabstar truck with registration number XJ 214 KTU at gunpoint.

Investigators alleged that the defendant carried out the robbery with other suspects who remain at large.

During the trial, Olowoyeye told the court that he knew the defendant prior to the incident because Isiaka had worked as a commercial driver.

He explained that the defendant and two other men hired him in Ilesa to transport cocoa beans from Igbara Oke.

According to the victim:

• The men initially paid him 8,000 naira
• They promised to pay the remaining balance after the trip
• The agreed transport fee was 20,000 naira

The victim said the situation changed when the passengers asked him to reverse his vehicle into a bush near a primary school in Ibuji.

He told the court that while Isiaka was seated beside him in the front seat, another passenger suddenly pulled out a revolver.

The victim testified that he was dragged out of the vehicle, robbed of his money, phone, and car key, and then tied up and abandoned in the bush.

He further alleged that the defendant tied him to a tree after giving him an injection.

According to Olowoyeye, he eventually managed to free himself and crawl through the bush until he reached the road, where police officers later rescued him and took him to the hospital.

He told the court he spent about 15 days receiving treatment and experienced serious health complications afterward.

A police witness, Inspector Kehinde Omotosho, also testified during the Ondo court lecturer armed robbery case.

The officer told the court that highway patrol officers found the victim and escorted him to the Igbara Oke Police Station, where he later made a formal statement identifying the defendant.

Throughout the trial, Isiaka denied all the allegations.

He told the court he was not involved in the robbery and rejected claims that he administered an injection to the victim.

The defendant also argued that:

• He was not a medical professional
• He had no license to administer injections
• No syringe or medical equipment linked to the allegation was presented in court

He further stated that investigators did not produce medical records to support the claim that the victim received a harmful injection.

Justice Adejumo explained that the third charge related to endangering life could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt.

Citing Section 135(1) of the Evidence Act, the court noted that the prosecution failed to provide medical records or independent evidence confirming the alleged injection.

The judge stated that relying solely on testimony without supporting medical evidence would be unsafe.

As a result, the defendant was acquitted on the third count.

However, the court concluded that sufficient evidence existed to link Isiaka to the robbery itself.

After reviewing the evidence, the court found the defendant guilty of armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

Justice Adejumo sentenced him to:

• Life imprisonment for conspiracy
• Death by hanging for armed robbery

While delivering the judgment, the court stated that the convict would “be hanged by the neck until he is dead,” while also praying for mercy on his soul.

The prosecution was represented by John Dada Joshua, while O. I. Tiwo appeared for the defence.