An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced two men to 25 years’ imprisonment each after finding them guilty of kidnapping a woman whose husband had earlier been killed by armed men.
Justice Lekan Ogunmoye convicted Ibrahim Abubakar, 44, and Abdulahi Abubakar, 41, for the abduction of Omoboade Adesina following the conclusion of their trial on charges of conspiracy, murder and kidnapping.
The convicts were initially arraigned alongside Usman Abubakar, 49, and Abdulazeez Alebiosu, 59.
However, the latter two died while the case was still pending before the court.
The defendants were brought before the court on October 4, 2022, over allegations that they conspired to murder Taiwo Adesina and later kidnapped his widow, Omoboade Adesina, in separate incidents that occurred in March and April 2022.
According to the prosecution, the offences were committed off the Federal Polytechnic Road in Ado-Ekiti and contravened Sections 244, 234 and 279(1)(a) of the Criminal Laws of Ekiti State, 2021.
While testifying during the trial, the victim narrated how armed men attacked her husband’s farm, where he was fatally shot while attempting to escape.
She told the court that she was informed of the attack by telephone and that her husband was rushed to the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital in Ado-Ekiti, where he was confirmed dead.
After observing the mourning period, she said she returned to the farm with her son and brother-in-law to inspect the property when another group of gunmen stormed the residence.
According to her, the attackers forced their way into the house after scaling the fence, abducted her and transported her on a motorcycle to an unknown location.
She testified that the kidnappers demanded a ransom of N10 million from her family but eventually accepted N3.25 million after her relatives were unable to raise the full amount.
The victim also told the court that she clearly saw some of the kidnappers while in captivity and later identified them when they were paraded by the police.
To establish its case, the prosecution, led by Kunle-Shina Adeyemo, called seven witnesses and tendered several exhibits, including the defendants’ statements and MTN call logs.
The defendants denied the allegations through their counsel, Chris Omokhafe, but did not call any witnesses in their defence.
Delivering judgment, Justice Ogunmoye held that the prosecution failed to establish beyond reasonable doubt that the defendants conspired to kill Taiwo Adesina.
The court also noted that the victim did not mention Usman Abubakar in her testimony, leading to his discharge and acquittal on all charges.
Consequently, the defendants were acquitted on the counts relating to conspiracy and murder.
Justice Ogunmoye, however, ruled that the prosecution successfully proved the charge of kidnapping against Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdulahi Abubakar.
“In all, the sole issue for determination is resolved partly in favour of the prosecution,” the judge held before sentencing both convicts to 25 years’ imprisonment each for kidnapping.
