By Desire Emmanuel
An Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos State on Wednesday, April 15, sentenced twins, Taiwo Ojomo and Kehinde Ojomo, to 14 years’ imprisonment each for robbing a driver on a highway.
Taiwo, a driver, and Kehinde, a security guard, were convicted alongside a 34-year-old rewiring technician, Emmanuel Bamidele and a 27-year-old cobbler, Peter Samuel.
Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe convicted them following their plea bargain agreement on an amended two-count charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and armed robbery.
The convicts initially pleaded not guilty when arraigned in 2020 but later changed their plea to guilty following an amended charge filed on Tuesday under a plea bargain agreement.
The agreement provided for a reduced sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment instead of 21 years.
In her judgment, Abike-Fadipe held that she was satisfied that the convicts voluntarily consented to the plea bargain, but however, noted that the court was not bound by the terms of the plea bargain.
She subsequently sentenced each of the them to 14 years’ imprisonment, with effect from the date of their remand in a correctional facility.
Earlier, the state lead counsel, Mrs Jumoke Ogunode, urged the court to sentence the convicts in line with the plea bargain.
She submitted that the convicts committed the offences on June 5, 2020, at about 11.30 p.m. in Oshodi area of the state.
She said the convicts pretended to be stranded at Oshodi Bridge and were picked up by one Sadiq Ezekiel, who drove Siena vehicle with registration number LSR 771 GG.
She told the court that after entering the vehicle, the convicts dragged Ezekiel to the back seat at gunpoint and assaulted him.
Ogunode said they subsequently robbed the victim of an Android phone, an iPhone, an ATM card and the sum of N15,000.
She said the offence contravened Section 298(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
