An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Ikot Ekpene has sentenced a tricycle ticket seller, Iboro Sunday Akpan, to death by hanging for armed robbery and life imprisonment for attempted murder.
Delivering judgment in Charge No. HT/25C/2025, Justice Augustine D. Odokwo held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and convicted the defendant on all three counts.
The court subsequently sentenced Akpan to 14 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy, life imprisonment for attempted murder, and death by hanging for armed robbery, with the custodial sentences subsumed by the capital punishment.
Akpan, a native of Ikot Idaha in Ikono Local Government Area, was prosecuted by the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Justice over an armed robbery attack that occurred in the early hours of July 23, 2025, at Annex B Estate, Ikot Otor, in Ikot Ekpene.
During the trial, the prosecution’s principal witness, Barr. Camillus Ben, testified that he was awakened at about 1:23 a.m. by a loud bang at the estate gate and confronted an unmasked intruder whom he identified as Akpan, a ticket seller he had known for years on Umuahia Road in Ikot Ekpene.
According to the witness, he recognized the convict from a distance of about four feet before fleeing the scene.
He later sustained gunshot injuries to his ribs and hand when armed robbers opened fire as police officers responded to a distress call.
The prosecution also presented evidence from a police officer attached to the Divisional Crack Team, who testified that officers recovered firearms and expended cartridges at the scene following an exchange of gunfire with the robbers.
One suspect was killed during the operation, while another escaped with gunshot wounds but was later tracked to Imo State.
The victim’s wife, who was more than eight months pregnant at the time of the attack, told the court that the armed robbers invaded their residence, stole cash and jewellery valued at N630,000, and attempted to force her to transfer money through a Point-of-Sale (POS) machine.
In his defence, Akpan denied involvement in the robbery, describing himself as a farmer and ticket seller and claiming that he was not at the scene.
However, Justice Odokwo rejected the defence, holding that the evidence amounted to a case of recognition rather than mistaken identity, noting that the victim had known the defendant prior to the incident.
The judge further dismissed the defendant’s alibi, ruling that it lacked specific details capable of verification and was contradicted by evidence from a defence witness.
“The prosecution has built a watertight and unshakeable case against the defendant,” the court held.
Justice Odokwo also ruled that, under the doctrine of common intention, Akpan was criminally liable for the shooting of the victim during the robbery, notwithstanding evidence that another gang member fired the shot.
In his obiter dictum, the judge described the attack as a violent criminal operation that nearly claimed the victim’s life and stressed that the punishment prescribed for armed robbery under the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act was mandatory.
“The sentence of this Court is that you, Iboro Sunday Akpan, shall be hanged by the neck until you be dead. And may the Almighty God have mercy upon your soul,” Justice Odokwo declared.
The court ordered that the firearms and ammunition tendered as exhibits be returned to the Akwa Ibom State Police Command for official destruction, while all exhibits are to remain in court custody pending any appeal.
