Ekiti court sentences ex-convict, three others to death for kidnap, murder
By Boye Oyeyemi
An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has sentenced four men, including an ex-convict, to death by hanging for kidnapping and murdering a businessman, Chief Emmanuel Ajayi.
The convicts, Jimoh Dele, 57; Ige Adu, 56; Ogunremi Bunmi, 53; and Ayeni Blessing, 32, were found guilty of conspiracy, kidnapping, murder and illegal possession of firearms. They were arraigned before Justice Olalekan Olatawura on September 1, 2022.
The prosecution told the court that the defendants abducted Ajayi from his residence on May 5, 2022, before killing him. They were also accused of being in possession of four locally made single-barrel guns and 13 live cartridges.
A police witness, Sgt. Oladele Ayodeji of the Rapid Response Squad, testified that officers received a report of the victim’s abduction and later discovered him by the roadside after he reportedly fell from the boot of the kidnappers’ vehicle. He said the victim was initially taken to a nearby hospital before being transferred to ABUAD Multisystem Hospital, where he later died from injuries sustained during the incident.
The witness further told the court that one Akeem Banjo Adebayo, who was later arrested during a robbery operation, linked the other defendants to the kidnapping gang, adding that a search of Dele’s residence led to the recovery of firearms, ammunition and other exhibits.
Delivering judgment, Justice Olatawura held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, describing the first three defendants as serial kidnappers, armed robbers and housebreakers. The judge also noted that Bunmi Ogunremi was an ex-convict.
The court sentenced all four convicts to 21 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy and sentenced Dele to an additional 10 years’ imprisonment and a ₦20,000 fine for illegal possession of firearms.
They were, however, sentenced to death by hanging for the offences of kidnapping and murder, with the sentences to run concurrently.
