An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced two men to death by hanging for the kidnapping of a staff member of the National Youth Service Corps in the state.
The convicts, Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar, were found guilty of abducting Mrs Omoboade Adesina, an NYSC official, in April 2022.
Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, delivered the judgment in suit number HAD/124C/2022, holding that the prosecution proved the charge of kidnapping against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.
The court, however, discharged and acquitted a third defendant, Usman Abubakar, after ruling that the prosecution failed to establish his involvement in the crime.
According to court records, Adesina was kidnapped on April 22, 2022, prompting an investigation by operatives of the Department of State Services, who later arrested the suspects and prosecuted them.
In his judgment, Justice Ogunmoye said the evidence presented before the court, including findings from an identification parade and Call Data Records analysis, sufficiently linked the two convicts to the abduction.
He noted that the prosecution successfully established the roles played by Ibrahim and Abdullahi in the crime, leading to their conviction and subsequent death sentence.
The judge also commended the DSS for what he described as a diligent investigation and prosecution of the case.
Reacting to the verdict, the DSS described the judgment as a major breakthrough in the fight against kidnapping and violent crimes.
The agency said the conviction reflected the growing effectiveness of intelligence-driven investigations in tackling criminal activities across the country.
It added that the judgment followed other recent convictions secured through its investigations, including terrorism-related prosecutions and kidnapping cases in other parts of the country.
The DSS reiterated its commitment to collaborating with relevant stakeholders to ensure that perpetrators of violent crimes are arrested, prosecuted and made to face the full weight of the law.
The judgment comes amid renewed efforts by security agencies and state governments to curb the rising cases of kidnapping and other violent crimes across Nigeria.
FOLLOW US
FOR MORE HERE
