An Ado-Ekiti High Court has sentenced a man, Efe Efi, to 10 years imprisonment for unlawful possession of firearm.
The convict who was also charged with attempted murder and robbery was however exonerated from the two charges due to lack of evidence.
According to the charges ( HAD/10c/2018) preferred against the accused person by the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP), he committed the offences on October 27, 2016, at Moferere area of Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
Delivering his judgement on Wednesday, Justice Abiodun Adesodun found the accused person guilty of illegal possession of firearm, but discharged and acquitted him of the other two charges.
According to Justice Adesodun, ”A case of unlawful possession of firearm had been proved beyond reasonable doubt. The prosecution was able to establish the elements needed to link the accused person with the crime and he is accordingly sentenced to ten years imprisonment. But the offender, being a first offender, is given a sum of N20,000 as option of fine.”
On attempted murder and robbery charges, Justice Adesodun said, “Ingredients of attempted murder and robbery could not be substantiated against the accused person. You are accordingly discharged and acquitted.”
Earlier, Mr. L.E. Ojo from DPP called a witness and tendered the statement of the accused person as exhibit while the counsel to the defendant, Barrister Owoseeni Ajayi, did not call any witnesses.
The convict was said to have attempted to rob a man, Adewumi Osasona, a bike rider and student of Ekiti State University who conveyed him from Ijigbo to Moferere of his motorcycle, but was arrested by residents of the area after his accomplice who shot the victim fled.
The accused person was said to have tied Ososona with a rope while his accomplice came out of a nearby bush and pointed a gun at the victim and ordered him to hand over his bike. The escaped accomplice was said to have shot into the air to scare the victim and subsequently shot him when he resisted, causing the injured man to raise the alarm which alerted the residents.