FIVE POLICEMEN BAG 25 YEARS EACH FOR ARMED ROBBERY

An Ikeja High Court, presided over by Justice Joseph Oyewole, yesterday sentenced four policemen and an accomplice to 25 years imprisonment each for robbery.

The convicted persons are Bestman Dennar (52), Musa Mohammed (45), Peter Enidiok (53), Godwin Williams (44) and Emmanuel Ajogbor (48).

The police had arraigned them on twocount charge of conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery.

The judge convicted them on each of the count and sentenced each of the five persons to 25 years imprisonment on each of the counts which amounts to 250 years in total.

The judge, however, made the sentence to run concurrently with the implication that each convict would only spend 25 years behind the bar.

Justice Oyewole also made the sentence to start running from the date the convicts had been remanded in custody which is March 3, 2005.

In his judgement, Justice Oyewole said: “I hold that sufficient facts exist beyond reasonable doubt upon which the court could infer conspiracy in the present circumstances and hold all the defendants guilty accordingly.

“I, therefore, find each of the defendants guilty of conspiracy as charged in Count 1.

“In conclusion, I hold in respect of Count 1 that the prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the defendants are guilty of the offence of conspiracy to commit robbery contrary to Section 403 (A) of the Criminal Code.

“I hereby convict each of them accordingly.

“I further hold that the prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the defendants are guilty of the offence of robbery simpliciter, contrary to Section 402 (1) of the Criminal Code and I hereby convict them accordingly.”

According to the prosecution, the convicts conspired to commit robbery on November 17, 2002 along Ijebu-Ode Expressway and Ikorodu, Lagos.

The judge also declared that he found that the fourth defendant, Williams, was although not physically at the crime scene, he was part of the planning, execution and disposal of the robbery proceeds.

Degrading Williams, Justice Oyewole said: “He had a common intention with the others who were physically present.”

After listening to the defendants’ lawyers’ plea to temper justice with mercy, the judge said the fact that they were policemen was an “aggravating factor” to impose the maximum penalty.

He rejected the request that the sentence be mitigated as the defendants have been in prison for about 10 years.

Source: National Mirror