Jethro Ibileke/ Asaba

A Nigerian High Court has sentenced a man to death by hanging for stealing a GSM handset and N10,000 cash from his victims while armed with a gun and cutlass.

The Court sitting at Akwukwu-Igbo, headquarters of Oshimili North local government of Delta state gave the verdict today.

The accused, Vincent Okwekwu, was found gulity of a three-count charge that included robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery.

He was sentenced to death by hanging for the offence of conspiracy while he got 21 years jail term for each of the other two counts.

Earlier, the Prosecution team from the Department of Public Prosecutions had told the Court that Okwekwu on 1 November, 2009, along with two others now at large, broke into the apartments of one Ofoyeju Peter and Tietie Moses and robbed them of cash and valuables, while armed with a gun and a cutlass.

The offence took place at Umueha quarters, Ibusa. The alarm raised by their victims attracted members of the vigilante group in the area, which led to the arrest of the convict while the two other members of the gang escaped into the bush.

Prosecution further told the Court that the accused who was later handed over to the Police, admitted to have committed the crime in his voluntary statement, but denied the charge as he pleaded not guilty to all the three count charge read to him by the Court Clerk when he was arraigned.