Facts
The Respondent was arraigned as the 5th accused person alongside seven other accused persons before the High Court of Yola State (“the trial court”) on a nine-count charge bordering on armed robbery and illegal possession of firearms. The facts of the case as presented by the Appellant (the prosecution at the trial court) is that the Defendants, who were a team of robbers, broke into the apartments of the complainants, demanded money, robbed them of personal belongings such as mobile phones, wristwatches, a sword hammer, among others, and threatened to kill the one-year-old child of one of the complainants if their demands were not met.
After the robbery, the victims reported the incident to the police. Subsequently, one of the robbery victims found his mobile phone with one Salihu, who led the police to the 1st and 2nd accused persons. Furthermore, a wristwatch stolen from one of the victims was also found in the possession of the 1st accused. The accused persons were later arrested and subsequently arraigned, with the 9th accused person said to be at large. At the end of the trial and adoption of addresses, the trial court found the eight persons who stood trial guilty, convicted them, and sentenced them to death by hanging.
