Lagos Driver Who Was Allegedly Being Owed Salary, Sentenced To Death... Find Out His Crime

 

 

An Ikeja High Court yesterday sentenced a driver, Monsuru Ayoola, to death for robbery.

 

Justice Raliat Adebiyi found him guilty of robbing his former employer, Mr Lanre Alabi, in 2015 with a toy gun and machete for allegedly owing him his salary.

 

The judge held: “The defendant is found guilty of a one-count charge of armed robbery. The punishment for the offence is a strict and a mandatory one and for this reason, the allocutus of the defence counsel cannot apply.

 

She, however, discharged Ayoola of a two-count charge of armed robbery and inflicting injury for insufficient evidence.

 

Justice Adebiyi held: “Oluwasegun Badia, the alleged second victim was not produced in court and no evidence about the alleged armed robbery was given in court.

 

Earlier, Ayoola’s counsel, Mrs O. Oreagba-Ademola, in her allocutus, urged the court to temper justice with mercy.

 

“We urge Your Lordship to temper justice with mercy, he is a first time offender and has no prior criminal record,” she said.

 

Ayoola, of 153, Adeniyi Adeniji Street, Lagos Island, was arraigned on March 14, 2016.

 

He pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge of armed robbery and inflicting injury.

 

The prosecution counsel, Mrs O. R. Ahmed-Muili, said he committed the offence at midnight on October 11, 2014 at 16, Yeye Olofin Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.

 

She said: “While wearing a plastic mask to conceal his identity, and armed with a machete and toy gun, he robbed Alabi, his former employer of his black wallet containing N50,000 and his Nokia and HTC mobile phones.

 

According to the prosecution, "Ayoola was apprehended by security guards and was unmasked during the ensuing struggle. He issued death threats to the guards who immediately recognised him.”

 

Three prosecution witnesses including Alabi, testified during the trial.

 

Alabi, in his testimony, said Monsuru was his driver for six years, adding that he did not owe him salary.

 

The convict, he said, lived with him as his worker, explaining that he fired him for alleged misconduct.

 

In his defence, Ayoola claimed that Alabi owed him four years and four months salary. He said he went to confront Alabi at home over his unpaid salary on the day of the incident.

 

He said he attacked his former boss with a cutlass, adding that he fainted during the fracas and was revived. He said he found himself at the police station after his recovery.