Supreme Court affirms death sentence on Okiemute

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the death sentence passed on one Freeborn Okiemute by a Delta High Court sitting in Ozoro for the offence of armed robbery.In a unanimous judgment of the Apex Court, the appellant’s seven grounds of appeal as contained in the brief of arguments submitted by his lead counsel, Ayo Asala Esq., were dismissed.

On November 17, 2006, at Ozoro, the appellant, Freeborn Okiemute, and others now at large, robbed one Mathilda Egbamuno (female) of the cash sum of N500,000, jewelries, wrappers and other personal belongings while armed with a gun.

The appellant was convicted by Justice Marshal Umukoro of Ozoro High Court, now the Chief Judge of Delta State on Count I and V of a five-count charge (conspiracy to commit armed robbery and armed robbery) and sentenced him to death by hanging while he was discharged and acquitted in respect of the other three counts.

Dissatisfied with the judgment of the trial court, the appellant filed a Notice of Appeal to the Court of Appeal, Benin Division challenging it. On November 15, 2012, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal and affirmed the judgment of the lower court.

Affirming the concurrent judgments of the trial court and that of the Court of Appeal, Justice Galadima held that the prosecution did prove its case against the appellant beyond reasonable doubt and dismissed the appeal for lack of merit.

In a related development, a notorious kingpin of a five-man kidnap gang, Kennedy Itoje, who has been on the wanted list of law enforcement agencies, has been sentenced to 13 years in jail with hard labour by a Delta State High Court for the kidnap of a nurse and demanding the sum of N20 million as ransom.

Itoje was convicted by an Asaba High Court on a two-count charge of conspiracy to commit a felony to wit; kidnapping punishable under section 516 and kidnapping punishable under section 364(2) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C21, Volume 1, Laws of Delta State, 2006. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment on the count of conspiracy and eight years in jail for kidnapping with hard labour.

Itoje was leader of the armed gang that abducted one Mrs. Kate Okogu, a nurse on September 13, 2012 at Ughelli and took her into the forest, where she was held captive until security agents rescued her.