Court Sentences Nigerian Army Officer To Death Over Armed Robbery
A Nigerian Army officer, Dompa Hyellablani has was convicted for armed robbery was on Thursday sentenced to death in Adamawa State.
Dompe Hyellablani, with Force number 13NA/70/6142 served at 351 Artillery in Monguno, Borno State.
He was convicted on two counts bordering on criminal conspiracy and armed robbery.
Justice Kanyson Lawanson of the High Court sentenced the military personnel to death after he was tried and found guilty on the charges preferred against him.
Africa Investigative Magazine gathered that the judge discharged and acquitted 19-year-old Emmanuel Adeka’a, that was arraigned alongside the military officer who joined as a defendant on the same count.
According to the prosecution, Hyellablani and Adeka’a had on September 9, 2019, while in front of VIS Restaurant, Yola, in the Yola North local government area, robbed Rita Harrison, a staff member of Post Primary Schools Management Board of her vehicle.
Hyellablani, an indigene of Adamawa State was said to have used an assault rifle to forcibly dispossess Harrison of her car (Toyota Camry LE) with registration number: BL 85 LSD – Lagos.
In his statement tendered and admitted in evidence, Hyellablani told the court that while in Monguno in 2019, the military decided to collect all arms from them, but that he refused to hand over his own due to threats posed by Boko Haram terrorists.
A few days later, he was granted a pass to travel to his home state of Adamawa where he committed the crime on September 9, 2019.
“He was fully dressed in military uniform and armed with a rifle when he saw Harrison in her car in front of the restaurant where he ordered her to give up her car at gunpoint,” the prosecution submitted.
Thereafter, he was said to have fired four shots to scare away those who might want to rescue the woman.
He also threatened to shoot his friend who was also trying to escape for his life and ordered him to drive the stolen car to his hotel apartment around 11:30 pm.
However, they were intercepted by a team of local vigilantes while on their way to the hotel and handed over to the police.
While pronouncing the death sentence on him, Justice Kanyson declared that the prosecution had proved its case against the defendant as charged, and sentenced him to death by hanging or by lethal injection.