From Joseph Obukata, Warri
A Delta State High Court sitting in Ibusa has sentenced two men, Ojerbo Solomon and Ola Babatunde, to death by hanging for murder, armed robbery, and rape offences.
The court, presided over by Justice M.O. Omovie, found the defendants guilty of breaking into a house, raping the victims, and slitting their throats, resulting in the deaths of two victims.
The prosecution, led by E.H. Edema, presented five witnesses and evidence that showed the defendants committed the crimes on 8 February 2016.
According to the prosecution, the two defendants, armed with guns, cutlasses, and knives, broke into the victims’ house, raped them, and then slit their throats.
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One of the victims, Praise Sunday, survived the attack, but his mother and sister died.
The prosecutor narrated that, after committing the crime, the defendants escaped on the victim’s motorcycle to Ewohimi in Edo State, where they were later apprehended by the police.
The defendants denied the allegations but failed to call any witnesses in their defence.
Justice Omovie, in his ruling, concluded that the prosecution had proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt and sentenced the defendants to death by hanging.