CLERIC BAGS 14 YEARS JAIL FOR ATTEMPTED ARMED ROBBERY

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Admin l Wednesday, June 21, 2017

IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – An Islamic cleric, Alfa Taofeek Olawale was today sentenced to 14 years imprisonment by an Ikeja High Court for attempted armed robbery.




Olawale who has been in prison since 2012 was arraigned before Justice Raliat Adebiyi on two count charge of robbery and attempted armed robbery. Olawale who told the court that he was an Arabic teacher at Lakuwe in Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos since 1997 added that he also assisted people suffering from spiritual attack.

The convict who claimed to be innocent of the charge said he had gone to Lakuwe Junction on May 6, 2012 to offer sacrifices on behalf of one his clients.

“I live with my girlfriend at Lakuwe. On the day of the incident around 12.am, I had gone to the T-junction at Lakuwe dressed in a white Jalabiya to offer sacrifices on behalf of my client who was suffering from leg pains and also spiritual problems. He said he had told his client to bring a goat which parts are to be used for sacrifice.

“It was while I was chanting spiritual incantations that someone suddenly appeared with a cutlass and struck me on the head. I lost consciousness only to wake up and find myself in the Lagos State Teaching Hospital,” he said.

The complainant, Mr Jephthah Ekwueme who was the only prosecution witness told the court that on the day of the incident, he was lying on his bed when some people shone a torch light through his window.
Ekwueme said the person told me he was an armed robber and commanded him to open the door.

“I heard more than one voice commanding me to open the door to my apartment and telling me that they were armed robbers. I grabbed a cutlass and swung it through the window and it hit one of them. They thereafter took their heels.

“I quickly opened the door and shouted for assistance from my neighbors. I pursued one of them who happened to be the defendant I had injured with the cutlass. I noticed that he was wearing a long white garment. He jumped over the fence into the next compound and I followed him there. I managed to subdue him until the police arrived,” he testified.

After listening to their arguments, Justice Raliat Adebiyi found the defendant guilty as charged. She upheld the testimony of the complaint who was the only witness in the matter to the effect that the defendant was wearing a white garment when he was caught on the night of the incident.

Justice Adebiyi held that the testimony of the complainant was also corroborated by the defendant who admitted that he was wearing a white jalabiya on the night of the incident. She noted that the convict was also caught at the scene of the crime and identified by the witness who is also the victim.

Plea by Mr Worer Oduagbaka his counsel for the judge to temper justice with mercy made no difference and he was sentenced to 14 years in prison on both count.

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