Court sentences 28-year-old school dropout to death by hanging

Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced a 28-year-old man, Ndifreke Essien Urua to death for robbing the Vice Principal, Academics, at the Community Secondary Commercial School, Ikot Andem Itam in Itu Local Government Area.

The Vice Principal was on a duty call in the school premises, when the incident happened around 1:30 pm on 25th February, 2017.

The convict, a native of Ikot Andem Itam, armed with a machete, robbed his victim of her handbag containing recharge cards worth N200,000, a Nokia phone and N16,000 cash.

The convict in his confessional statement said his girlfriend, one Victoria now at large informed him that there was a lady sitting alone at Community Secondary Commercial School, Ikot Andem Itam and that he should go and rob her.

He said both of them immediately rushed to the school and threatened to kill the 56-year-old Vice Principal, forcing her to hand over all her belongings to them.

The robber said it was at the point of selling the NOKIA phone that her girlfriend, who had escaped with other loots, was caught by youths of Ikot Andem Itam village and she spilt the beans, leading to his arrest by the police.

The presiding judge, Justice Edem Akpan in his judgement agreed, saying, “With the submission of the state, the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt through the confessional statements of the accused.”

Justice Edem Akpan found the accused guilty of armed robbery, which is contrary to Section 1 (2) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act Vol. 14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and convicted him accordingly.

The court held that the accused person, Ndifreke Essien Urua, who is the last child in the family of eight, be hanged to death and prayed to God to have mercy on his soul.

AKBC Judiciary Correspondent, Harrison Essien reports that the condemned robber had pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, saying it was his first time of involvement in an armed robbery operation.