Court sentences two kidnappers to death in Ekiti

By Boye Oyeyemi

An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced two men to death by hanging for kidnapping a staff member of the National Youth Service Corps.

The convicts, Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar, were found guilty of abducting Omoboade Adesina, an NYSC employee, in April 2022. The court, however, discharged and acquitted a third defendant, Usman Abubakar, citing lack of sufficient evidence linking him to the crime.

The judgment was delivered by the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, at the High Court in Fajuyi, Ado-Ekiti, in a case prosecuted by the Department of State Services.

Adesina was kidnapped on April 22, 2022, prompting an investigation by the DSS, which later tracked down and arrested the suspects before charging them to court.

Justice Ogunmoye held that the prosecution successfully established its case beyond reasonable doubt and consequently sentenced the two convicts to death by hanging.

The judge commended the DSS prosecution team for its thorough investigation, noting that the identification parade and analysis of call data records played a key role in linking the convicts to the offence.

The court ruled that the evidence presented against the third defendant was insufficient to warrant a conviction, leading to his discharge and acquittal.

The DSS described the verdict as a significant milestone in its campaign against kidnapping and other violent crimes, reiterating its commitment to ensuring that offenders are brought to justice.