Two NSCDC Officers Sentenced to Death for Armed Robbery

An Ikeja High Court has sentenced two officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to death by hanging after convicting them of armed robbery. The officers, Azonta Amarachukwu and Ajayi Adebayo, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery and armed robbery, following charges brought against them by the state.

Justice Onyindamola Ogala delivered the verdict, stating that the prosecution successfully proved the charges against the convicts. The court found that the two officers participated in an illegal midnight operation on January 30, 2018, extending into the early hours of January 31, 2018. At approximately 2 a.m., armed with guns and other weapons, they hijacked an Iveco container truck, registered as LSR 746 XD, containing 1,700 cartons of Chelsea and Action Bitter drinks, valued at N2.7 million, along with a waybill, mobile phones, and cash.

The court noted that Amarachukwu was caught in a Mazda car used to block the truck’s path, while Adebayo was later apprehended by NSCDC officers and handed over to the police. Justice Ogala emphasized that an eyewitness identified both defendants and their roles in the crime. The stolen truck and its contents were later abandoned at Yaya Abatan Junction and subsequently recovered.

The judge ruled that the crime was complete at the moment of the hijacking, regardless of the recovery of stolen items. She declared the defendants guilty and sentenced them to death by hanging.

During the trial, the prosecution presented three witnesses, including the victim, the truck owner, and the investigating police officer. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dr. Babajide Martins, expressed support for the court’s judgment, affirming that the prosecution’s efforts had been justified. He urged the public to trust law enforcement officers as protectors rather than threats to public safety.