May 15, 2025
Legalpedia Citation: (2013) Legalpedia (SC) 51914 In the Supreme Court of Nigeria HOLDEN AT ABUJA Thu Mar 7, 2013 Suit Number: SC. 145/2011 CORAM PARTIES RASHEED LASISI APPELLANTS […]
CORAM
PARTIES
RASHEED LASISI APPELLANTS
THE STATE RESPONDENTS
AREA(S) OF LAW
SUMMARY OF FACTS
SUMMARY OF FACTS
The appellant and another person were arraigned before the High Court of Kwara State on a two count charge for robbery and culpable Homicide. The trial court sentenced the Appellant accordingly. Dissatisfied with the judgment of the trial court, the appellant appealed to the court below in which the court below affirmed the Judgment of the trial court. Thus, the appellant appealed to the apex court.
HELD
NONE
ISSUES
Whether indeed appellant’s statements are confessional. Whether the conviction for the offences he stands trial for are lawfully founded on his confessional statements without more
RATIONES DECIDENDI
MEANING OF CONFESSION
“A confession is an admission made at any time by a person charged with a crime stating or suggesting that he committed the crime.”
EFFECT OF DENIAL OF A CONFESSIONAL STATEMENT
“It is not the law that denial by an accused of his confessional statement provides reason for either rejecting or rendering it unreliable and incapable of sustaining the conviction of the accused for the offences he stands trial for.”
ON ADMISSION OBTAINED BY OPPRESSION
“The law renders irrelevant any admission obtained by oppression of the person who made it, or in consequence of anything said or done which was likely to render the admission unreliable.”
POWER OF THE COURT TO CONVICT AN ACCUSED ON VOLUNTARY CONFESSION
“Where his confessional statement is direct, positive and unequivocal as to the admission of his guilt, the statement is enough to ground an accused person’s conviction notwithstanding the fact that he has resiled from the statement.”
AN ACCUSED CAN BE CONVICTED ON HIS VOLUNTARY CONFESSION
“The law does not, however, preclude a court from convicting an accused only on his confessional statement where the statement is found to be direct, positive and unequivocal.”
CASES CITED
EJINIMA V THE STATE (1991) 6 NWLR (PT 200) 627|ONYEJEKWE V THE STATE (1992) 4 NWLR (PT 230) 444
STATUTES REFERRED TO
NONE|