An Ado-Ekiti High Court has sentenced two men to life imprisonment and death by hanging for conspiracy, kidnapping, and armed robbery.
The convicts, Rotimi Onileowo (42) and Ayodele Adetola (42), were arraigned on June 30, 2017, before Justice Bamidele Omotosho on a three-count charge involving conspiracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping.
According to the charge, the offences were committed on October 7, 2016, in Abuta Omuo Ekiti, where the duo, armed with guns and cutlasses, robbed a woman, Mrs. Ajibola Oyelola, and conspired to kidnap her.
The offences contravened Sections 516, 402, and 403 (A) of the Ekiti State Criminal Code Law, Cap C16, 2012, as well as Section 3 (a) and (b) of the Ekiti State Kidnapping and Terrorism (Prohibition) Law, 2015.
During the trial, the victim testified, “I was in the kitchen around 8:30 p.m. when five armed men entered the living room. They asked for my husband, claiming he had offended their boss and they came to kill him. When they didn’t find him, they took my car key and N78,000 from the house.”
She said the attackers blindfolded and tied her up, forced her into the back seat of a car, and drove her into the bush. “I saw my gateman with his hands and legs tied. I was kept in the bush for eight days. On the fourth day, they called my husband and demanded N40 million, but he managed to raise N600,000 through family and friends, which they accepted before releasing me.”
She added that the kidnappers did not wear masks, and she clearly saw their faces during the ordeal.
The prosecution, led by Akinola Abon, called four witnesses and tendered the defendants’ confessional statements as evidence. The court heard that the men had previously met and befriended each other in prison before committing this crime. They called no witnesses in their defense.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Omotosho said, “I am not in the slightest doubt that the prosecution has fruitfully proved the case of conspiracy, kidnapping, and armed robbery against the defendants.”
He found both men guilty on all counts and sentenced them accordingly: life imprisonment for kidnapping and conspiracy, and death by hanging for armed robbery.
“May God have mercy on your souls,” the judge concluded.
(NAN)