… As Attorney General reiterates commitment to justice, public safety
The Edo State Government has secured a significant legal victory as the Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and death sentence of Sunday Osakpolor for armed robbery.
Clementina Agweda, the Public Relations Officer, Office of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Edo State in a press statement said that this followed earlier judgments by both the Edo State High Court and the Court of Appeal in Benin.
The apex court, in a judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Baba Idris, dismissed Osakpolor’s appeal, declaring it lacking in merit.
The Supreme Court upheld the concurrent findings of the lower courts, agreeing that the prosecution had presented compelling direct evidence justifying the conviction.
Arguing on behalf of the state at the Supreme Court, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Samson Osagie, maintained that the trial and appellate courts were correct in their assessment of the facts and evidence.
He urged the court to uphold the conviction and sentence, a position the court accepted in its ruling.
In a related development, the Edo State Ministry of Justice has secured the conviction of Taiwo Omorede and four others in Charge No. B/CD/163c/2023.
The defendants were tried for offences, including armed robbery, conspiracy, assault occasioning harm, and malicious damage.
The first three were sentenced to death by hanging, while the fourth and fifth were handed five-year prison terms.
The prosecution in the case was led by Oshirekun Otokurin, Esq., Assistant Director, and Mrs Okonofua, Principal State Counsel, both of the Ministry of Justice.
Delivering judgment, Justice Imadegbelo found that the evidence presented by the prosecution placed the accused persons at the scene of the crimes and discredited their claims of alibi.
These recent legal successes underscore the Edo State Government’s unwavering commitment to justice and the fight against criminality.
