Three Men Sentenced to De@th by Hanging for R0bbing and Threatening to K!ll 87-Year-Old Woman
An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has delivered a chilling verdict that underscores the judiciary’s unyielding stance against violent crime. Three men — Shadrack Apos (30), Lucky Akpos (33), and Adunola Precious (24) — have been sentenced to de@th by hanging for r0bbing and threatening to k!ll an 87-year-old woman, Madam Victoria Folorunso, in Ifaki-Ekiti.
The court, presided over by Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, found the trio guilty of conspiracy and armed robbery after an exhaustive trial that exposed a calculated and callous plot executed in June 2024. The judge, in his final pronouncement, said the evidence presented by the prosecution was “overwhelming, credible, and consistent,” leaving no doubt about the culpability of the accused persons.
According to court records, the incident occurred in the early hours of June 12, 2024, when the frail octogenarian was asleep in her home. Around 1:00 a.m., she was jolted awake by strange noises, only to find herself staring down the barrel of a gun.
“I saw two people in my room,” the victim, Madam Folorunso, recounted during her testimony. “One pointed a gun at me, while the other held a plank. They asked me to bring out all the money I had in the house. They took everything — the ₦100,000 I had in my handbag, another ₦47,000 I hid in my underwear, and my wristwatch, which my children gave me as a gift.”
The robbers, however, returned her phone after briefly checking its contents — a gesture that would later help investigators trace their movements.
The prosecution revealed that Adunola Precious, the victim’s live-in house help, was not just an innocent bystander but an active participant in the crime. Investigations showed she coordinated with her two male accomplices, granting them access to the elderly woman’s home without any sign of forced entry.
Justice Ogunmoye described her role as “pivotal and indispensable,” noting that her familiarity with the household’s routines made the robbery almost effortless.
When the robbers demanded to know if the victim had more money, she admitted to having about ₦3 million in her bank account. The men then ordered her to withdraw the money the next morning and deliver it to her house help, Adunola, who would pass it on to them.
“They told me not to tell anyone or else they would kidnap and kill me,” the old woman said. “They called me several times after the incident, threatening me for delaying the withdrawal.”
The case was assigned to the Ekiti State Police Command’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which launched a discreet operation to track down the suspects. Detectives obtained a warrant to search the home of Adunola Precious, where incriminating evidence, including a wooden gun, was found.
Her co-conspirators, Shadrack and Lucky, were later arrested in a hideout near Omuo-Ekiti after intelligence reports linked them to similar burglary activities across the region.
During interrogation, they both confessed to participating in the robbery but attempted to downplay their actions, claiming they never intended to harm the old woman.
The defendants were arraigned on August 19, 2024, on two counts — Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery and Armed Robbery — contrary to Sections 421 and 321(2)(b) of the Criminal Laws of Ekiti State (2021).
The prosecution, led by Mr. Kunle-Shina Adeyemo, presented two key witnesses, including the victim and a police investigator, along with exhibits such as the search warrant, defendants’ confessional statements, and the wooden gun used during the attack.
Adeyemo argued that the evidence clearly established a coordinated criminal conspiracy and that the robbers deliberately targeted a vulnerable woman they knew could not physically resist.
In their defense, the accused men, represented by Barristers Oluwatoyin Marcus and Mitchel Aribisala, pleaded for leniency, insisting they were first-time offenders and acted under the influence of financial desperation.
But the court was unmoved.
Delivering his ruling, Justice Ogunmoye painstakingly reviewed the testimonies, cross-examinations, and physical evidence. He concluded that the defendants had planned the robbery with full awareness of its criminality and had executed it without remorse.
He said:
“My earlier findings that the 3rd defendant, Adunola Precious, must have opened the door to enable the robbers to have seamless entry into the house she was sharing with the victim aptly demonstrated her own pivotal role in the plan to rob the victim. From the believable evidence before this court, therefore, it is clear that the prosecution has successfully established that the defendants planned and agreed to rob the victim on the 12th of June, 2024.”
“The charge of conspiracy and armed robbery has been proved beyond reasonable doubt against the defendants. They are hereby found guilty and convicted as charged.”
He then pronounced the ultimate sentence:
“The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd defendants are to be hanged by the neck until they are dead. May God have mercy on their souls.”
The courtroom fell silent as the verdict was read — a grim reminder of the gravity of their crime and the irreversible path their choices had set them on.
The verdict has stirred mixed reactions across Ekiti State. While some residents applauded the judgment as a necessary deterrent against rising cases of home invasions and violent robberies, others have reignited the debate over the morality of capital punishment in Nigeria’s justice system.
A retired school principal in Ifaki-Ekiti, Mrs. Comfort Aluko, said, “Those boys had no mercy for that poor old woman. Imagine pointing a gun at an 87-year-old in her sleep! The death sentence is the only way others will learn.”
Conversely, a local human rights advocate, Barr. Kayode Oladun, called for a more restorative approach to justice, noting that while the crime was heinous, “death by hanging is archaic and brutal.”
“Nigeria should begin to rethink punitive justice,” he said. “We can protect society while still respecting the sanctity of life. The solution lies in reform, not retaliation.”
Ekiti State, known for its peaceful reputation, has in recent years witnessed a disturbing uptick in armed robbery, elderly abuse, and domestic theft cases. Authorities blame economic hardship, unemployment, and youth involvement in substance abuse for the trend.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Adeniran Akinwale, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to fighting violent crime, saying:
“Let this serve as a warning to anyone who believes they can terrorize our citizens and get away with it. The long arm of the law is patient, but it never fails.”
Human rights groups, however, have urged the government to pair law enforcement with social support programs that target root causes — such as poverty, family breakdown, and drug addiction.
The case of Madam Folorunso is not just another entry in Nigeria’s growing crime docket. It is a story about the vulnerability of the elderly, the betrayal of trust, and the intersection of crime and conscience.
For the octogenarian victim, the experience has left scars that transcend the physical. Neighbors say she has since relocated to live with one of her children in Akure, though she still struggles with sleep and recurring nightmares.
Her eldest son, Mr. Adebayo Folorunso, described the family’s emotional state:
“We thank God for justice, but nothing can erase what she went through. She was like a mother to everyone in the neighborhood. To see her traumatized by people she trusted, especially her house help, broke our hearts.”
With the court’s decision now sealed, the case marks another significant moment in Ekiti State’s judicial history — one that reinforces the seriousness with which Nigerian courts are treating violent offenses, particularly against the aged.
Whether one views the sentence as justice served or as a reminder of the harshness of capital punishment, the tragedy in Ifaki-Ekiti remains a sobering testament to how crime erodes trust and innocence within communities.
As the condemned men await the finality of their sentence, one truth lingers — that in every crime, there are consequences; and in every verdict, there is a mirror reflecting the society that made both the victims and the offenders.