Robber to die for attacking 90-year-old mum with machete

Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of a Lagos State High Court sitting at Igbosere yesterday sentenced a man, Akeem Lawal, to death by hanging for attacking his 90-year-old mother, Taibat, with a machete.

Delivering judgement, Ipaye also found the defendant guilty of attacking his stepsister, Sherifat Olanipekun, with a machete and a gun. Lawal was arraigned on May 3, 2016, on a twocount amended charge of conspiracy to robbery and armed robbery, preferred against him by the Lagos State government.

In her judgement, Ipaye said: “I find you guilty on both counts. You shall be hanged by the neck until you die. May the Lord have mercy on your soul.”

While reading her judgement, the judge held that the prosecution was able to prove that the alleged robbery and armed robbery actually happened. She added that the convict was one of the armed robbers who attacked the victims.

The judge, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said she had no reason to doubt the testimonies of the victims because they were eyewitnesses to the incident and had a close opportunity to see the robbers. After sentencing, counsel to the convict, Mrs. E. B. Obiogwu, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy, adding that the convict had a son who depended on him.

She also said the con-vict “if given another chance, won’t toe the line of crime again”. Earlier, the prosecution led by Mr. Akin George, said the incident occurred on November 30, 2013, at 2a.m, at No.12, Lawal Street, Akowonjo, Egbeda area of Lagos.

He said that the offence contravened Section 297, 295 (2) (a), of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2011. George said that Lawal, along with two others who were masked, broke down the front door of his stepsister’s room with an axe and robbed her. He said that the defendant also shot the stepsister in the back, severed his aged-mother and left them to die. When trial commenced on May 3, 2016, the prosecution called three witnesses, who gave evidence before the court.

Olanipekun, in her testimony, said that on the day of the incident she was working on some decorations for her church when she heard a loud sound. She said the sound woke her son, Abiodun Olanipe kun, adding that she went to block the door to prevent the armed robbers from entering the house, but they broke down the door with an axe. She also stated that immediately the three masked men entered the house, they demanded N8 million, supposedly received from a sold property.

Olanipekun said she told the robbers that there was no such money with her which infuriated one of the armed robbers, Lawal, to remove his mask.

She said: “Lawal ordered me to lay face down, he ‘macheted’ my head with the axe, shot me at the back. “He went to the room and tried to strangle my aged mother.” She also told the court that the robbers stole her laptop, phones and jewellery.