ADO-EKITI, Nigeria (FN) — A Nigerian court on Monday sentenced three people to death by hanging for armed robbery after they were convicted of stealing cash and a wristwatch from an 87-year-old woman.
The Ekiti State High Court in Ado-Ekiti found Shadrack Apos, 30; Lucky Akpos, 33; and Adunola Precious, 24, guilty of conspiracy and armed robbery in connection with a June 2024 home invasion in the town of Ifaki-Ekiti.
According to court documents, the defendants broke into the home of Victoria Folorunso around 1 a.m. and threatened her at gunpoint. One held a firearm to her forehead while another brandished a wooden plank, demanding money.
“They helped me lift the mattress where I kept N100,000,” Folorunso testified. “They also took N47,000 I had hidden in my underwear and my wristwatch, a gift from my children.”
Folorunso said the attackers instructed her to withdraw an additional N3 million from her bank account and deliver it to Precious, her househelp, the following day. She said the men did not wear masks and appeared to be familiar with her domestic worker.
Justice Lekan Ogunmoye said Precious played a “pivotal role” in facilitating the robbery by allowing the intruders into the home. He described the crime as premeditated and violent. “The charge of conspiracy and armed robbery has been proved beyond reasonable doubt,” Ogunmoye said.
The case has sparked mixed reactions across Nigeria. Some residents of Ekiti State expressed support for the ruling, saying it sends a strong message against violent crime targeting vulnerable citizens. “What they did to that old woman was heartless,” said local resident Bayo Ajayi. “They deserve the punishment.”
However, human rights advocates have raised concerns about the use of capital punishment. “While the crime was deeply disturbing, sentencing young people to death by hanging raises serious ethical and legal questions,” said Aisha Lawal, a legal analyst with the Nigerian Human Rights Forum. “Nigeria must reconsider whether the death penalty is a just and effective deterrent.”
The defendants are expected to appeal the ruling. Their lawyers argued that the prosecution’s case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence and that their clients were not properly identified at the scene.
Nigeria retains the death penalty for certain crimes, including armed robbery, but executions are rare. International rights groups have repeatedly called for its abolition, citing concerns over due process and the risk of wrongful convictions.
