PRESS RELEASE
A Delta State High Court sitting in Warri Wednesday condemned to death by hanging a member of a vigilante group, Ebikeme Igangan and a welder, Ovwigho Udjor for robbing a female Shop Manager in Warri of valuables and cash worth over N3 million.
The Court found Ebikeme Igangan, age 26 from Ogbe-Ijaw, Warri South Local Governemnt Area and Ovwigho Udjor, age 36 from Jesse town, Ethiope West Local Government guilty of all the 3 count charges of conspiracy, armed robbery and raped proferred against them by the State Director of Public Prosecutions DPP. They were slammed with the death verdict on the count of conpiracy and armed robbery.
Prosecution from the Delta State Ministry of Justice had informed the Court that the two accused persons with 3 others now at large, on or about the 19th day of December, 2010 at Shell, Ogunu within the Warri Judicial Division robbed a Manager of a popular shop (name withheld) inside the Shell Yard of various valuables including two laptop computers, jewelries, 5 Nokia GSM handsets, one Motorola Blade handset valued over N.5million and a cash sum of N2.8million which the accused persons obtained from their victim at gun point after she led them to her shop where the money was kept. It was gathered that the victim operates a shop within the Shell Yard a short distance from her house.
Not satisfied with their loots, the robbers were also reported to have raped a youth corper cousin of their victim who accidentally was on a visit as at the time of the incidence.
The acused persons who were arrested by officers of Shell Police with the assistance of youths in the area who became suspicious of their movements on the night of the robbery operation, admitted in their voluntory statements to the Police to have committed the crime which they later retracted during trial.
It was also gathered from their confessional statements which was admitted in evidence as exhibit during trial that they gained entry into the well secured Shell Yard through the river.
Ivovi Aruoriwo
Public Relations Officer
Delta State Ministry of Justice
Asaba
