Both PW1 and PW2 were never cross-examine on this vital
piece of evidence relating to the dying declaration of late
Salamatu Umar whose dying declaration specifically put the
Defendant at the scene and nailed him to the participation in
the commission of the alleged crime.
Lending credence to the dying declaration, PW1 under crossexamination has testified to the fact that he knew the
Defendant as an armed robber even before their own incident.
furthermore, the Defendant in his statement admitted as
Exhibit ‘A’ and ‘A1’ alongside the evidence of PW2
established that a locally made pistol, thirteen (13) live
ammunitions, and four (4) empty shells of AK 47 were
recovered during the search conducted in the house of the
Defendant.
Consequent upon the foregoing, this court is of the humble
view that the dying declaration of late Salamatu Umar is
unequivocal and positive, believed it and accepted it as having
been made in extremity when she was at the point of death and
when every hope of this world is gone, when every motive to
falsehood is silenced and her mind was induced by the most
powerful consideration to speak the truth, a situation so
solemn and awful.
I therefore agree with submission of the learned prosecution
counsel that the prosecution has also proved the 3 rd and last
element.
Defence counsel also argued that the failure of the prosecution
to call the mother of PW1 to testify about the truth of whether
or not PW1 had N2 Million at the time of the robbery incident
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