Supreme Court Overturns Armed Robbery Conviction

On July 4, 2025, the Supreme Court of Nigeria, presided over by Justices John Inyang Okoro, Tijjani Abubakar, Habeeb Adewal Olumuyiwa Abiru, Jamilu Yammama Tukur, and Moham Baba Idri, addressed an appeal concerning a conviction for armed robbery. The appellant had been convicted and sentenced to death by hanging by the Ogun State High Court on May 24, 2017, for conspiracy to commit armed robbery and armed robbery itself.

The appeal was lodged on June 25, 2020, after the Court of Appeal in Ibadan affirmed the trial court's decision. The Supreme Court found that the prosecution did not sufficiently establish the case against the appellant, particularly regarding the identification of the accused and the reliance on a confession statement that was disputed.

The court concluded that the prosecution failed to prove the essential elements of the offenses beyond a reasonable doubt, resulting in the allowance of the appeal.