An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has sentenced two men, Onileowo Rotimi (42) and Adetola Ayodele (42), to death by hanging and life imprisonment for offences bordering on conspiracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping.
The convicts were arraigned before Justice Bamidele Omotosho on June 30, 2017, on a three-count charge. According to the prosecution, the crimes were committed on October 7, 2016, at Abuta, Omuo Ekiti, where the convicts allegedly conspired to rob and kidnap one Mrs. Ajibola Oyelola.
The charges were filed under Sections 516, 402, and 403(A) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C16, Laws of Ekiti State 2012, as well as Section 3(a)(b) of the Ekiti State Kidnapping and Terrorism (Prohibition) Law.
In her testimony, the victim recounted that she was abducted by five armed men while cooking around 8:30 p.m. They demanded to see her husband, claiming he had offended their boss. When they could not find him, they took her car keys and N78,000 in cash, blindfolded her, tied her hands, and drove her to an unknown location in the bush.
“I was with them for eight days,” she said. “On the fourth day, they called my husband and demanded a ransom of N40 million. He managed to raise N600,000 from friends and family before I was released. They were not masked, and I saw their faces clearly.”
The prosecution, led by Akinola Abon, called four witnesses and tendered the defendants’ statements as exhibits. During their defence, the convicts admitted to meeting and becoming friends while in prison before committing the crime together. They called no witnesses.
In his judgment, Justice Omotosho stated: “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 then sentenced the two men to life imprisonment for kidnapping and death by hanging for armed robbery.
“May God have mercy on your souls,” the judge declared.
