An Ekiti State High Court has sentenced two men to death by hanging after finding them guilty of kidnapping a staff member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the state.
The convicts, Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar, were convicted by the Ekiti State High Court I, Fajuyi, Ado-Ekiti, in suit number HAD/124C/2022.
The court, however, discharged and acquitted a third defendant, Usman Abubakar, citing insufficient evidence linking him to the crime.
The case arose from the abduction of Omoboade Adesina, a female staff member of the NYSC in Ekiti State, on April 22, 2022. Following the incident, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested the two convicts and charged them to court.
Delivering judgment, the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, found Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar guilty of kidnapping and sentenced them to death by hanging.
Justice Ogunmoye commended the DSS for its diligence and professionalism in prosecuting the case, noting that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge identified the identification parade conducted by the DSS and the analysis of Call Data Records during the investigation as crucial pieces of evidence that strengthened the prosecution’s case and led to the conviction.
The judgment marks another successful prosecution by the DSS in its ongoing efforts to tackle kidnapping and other violent crimes across the country.
The conviction follows the recent sentencing to death of three men by a Sokoto State High Court after they were convicted of terrorism and cross-border arms proliferation. It also comes after the successful prosecution of a kidnap suspect in Kogi State.
According to the DSS, the recent convictions reflect the growing effectiveness of intelligence-led investigations in combating kidnapping, terrorism, and other violent crimes. The agency reiterated its commitment to ensuring that perpetrators of such offences are brought to justice and face the full weight of the law.
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