AN Effurun High Court in Delta State has sentenced a 43-year-old bus driver, Peter Onwusiribekan to death by hanging for robbing a female nurse of her car.
The accused is from Mbanor Local Government Area of Imo State while the female nurse (name withheld) works at Ekpan General Hospital who regained her freedom along the Orerokpe Eku road where she was later found.
The incidence happened within the Ekpan General Hospital, Ekpan, when the Nurse was about driving out of the Hospital premises having closed from duty
The court found him guilty of the three count charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, the substantive offence of armed robbery which is a capital offence and kidnapping and was sentenced to death on count two while he got two years imprisonment for count one and five years on count three respectively.
The accused and two others now at large on or about the 5th day of December, 2011 kidnapped the nurse, held her for three days before she was released. It could not be ascertained if any ransom was however paid before she regained freedom.
Prosecution from the Delta State Ministry of Justice had told the Court that the accused with his gang members now on the run also robbed the nurse of her Toyota Corolla Salon car while armed with guns.
“I was about driving out of the premises when suddenly, the two men came from nowhere and pointed guns at me, pushed me to the back seat and drove off to an unknown destination” the nurse recounted in her evidence.
The accused was arrested in possession of the robbed car by a Special Anti-Robbery Squad during a routine stop and search operation along the Ughelli PortHarcourt Highway, two days after the robbery operation.
The accused was unable to give satisfactory explanations on how he came in possession of the robbed car.
“I do not have discretion in respect of count two (armed robbery) as the Law is certain. I hereby sentence you to death by hanging on the neck until you be dead. May God have mercy on your soul” The Court held.
The court in its judgment relied on doctrine of recent possession which states that any person found in possession of any recent stolen property is presumed to be the thief except was able to give cogent and reasonable explanations
