Just recently, a man was sentenced to death by a court of competent jurisdiction for stealing about N14,000. Lots of people seem displeased with the judgement and do not understand why a person is sentenced to death for stealing such meager sum of money while others with greater crimes get away with lesser punishments. They are of the opinion that the sentence is too weighty compared to the money that was stolen.

However, most people are not aware of the full facts of the case and that is why they do not fully understand the reason for the ‘harsh’ judgement.

The reason is simple. Where a person who steals is armed with a dangerous weapon, it goes beyond ‘just stealing’. It is robbery. Even if the victim escapes the robbery with his life, the aftermath of such an incident is always gruesome.

A few weeks back, a colleague was robbed in his house at night and the robbers were all armed to the teeth. They took quite a number of things from the house and even attempted to rape his wife. Days after the incident, this man is yet to recover from the effect of that night and he still shivers at any sudden noise or hint of violence. And we all agree that if his wife had been raped that night, the effect on their lives would have been a lot worse.

Robbery is a much greater offence than ‘just stealing’; some people never recover from the effect and are scarred for life.

The law is very clear; anyone who steals anything while being armed with any offensive weapon shall be sentenced to death, upon conviction. It does not matter whether the person steals a Nokia 3310 or a Rembrandt painting from the bank, the punishment for robbery is same.

The law is blind as to what the person steals and more particular about the weapon in the person’s possession.

It is sometimes easier to justify the death sentence of someone who robs a bank and empties its vaults while armed with different firearms than a person who robs another person of a N14,000 at gunpoint. Yet, they both carry the same penalty.

This may seem excessive and weird considering the number of politicians who are accused daily of stealing billions of naira without so much as a pat on the back. Yet it is what the law says; anyone who is convicted of robbing another with a firearm or an offensive weapon shall be sentenced to death.

A number of people are however advocating for an amendment of most of our laws, especially the death sentence (which is topic for another day). Any thoughts? [url][/url]www.tylegal.com

ok

Still think the death punishment is kinda harsh... I mean c'mmon! 14,000 =death?
If murder/rape was involved, I'd be first to scream "kill that mofo bastard..but none of those were involve right? So why the death penalty?. Send the thief to life imprisonment/with hard labour...

@Davidovinci I kind of understand your point of view...but he was armed with dangerous weapons and could easily have hurt/killed someone. However, some people also share your thoughts and are asking that the law be reviewed.