Court Sentences Two to Death In Ekiti Over Robbery

An Ekiti State High Court has sentenced two men, Ojo Tosin Olasunkanmi and Obamoyegun Dele, both aged 31, to death by hanging after convicting them of armed robbery, reinforcing Nigeria’s continued reliance on capital punishment for violent crimes.

The judgment, delivered in Ado-Ekiti, followed the court’s finding that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, linking the convicts to robbery operations involving weapons and force.

The ruling adds to a growing pattern of strict judicial responses to armed robbery in Ekiti and other parts of Nigeria, where courts have increasingly imposed severe penalties in an effort to deter rising criminal activity. Legal frameworks in Nigeria still permit capital punishment for offences such as armed robbery under existing criminal laws.

However, the decision has again reignited debate over the effectiveness and morality of the death penalty.

While supporters argue that harsh sentencing is necessary to curb violent crime, critics question whether capital punishment serves as a genuine deterrent or reflects deeper systemic failures in policing, economic conditions, and criminal justice reform.

Analysts note that such rulings highlight the tension between enforcement and reform, as Nigeria balances public demand for security with ongoing global conversations about human rights and judicial accountability.