A herdsman, Issa Ibrahim, along with four others, was sentenced to death on Tuesday by a State High Court sitting in Ede for kidnapping and murdering his father, Adamu Ibrahim, after collecting a ransom of three million naira. The other convicts are Lateef Bello, Abdulrahmon Soliu, Bello Ibrahim, and Jolaanabi Saheed.
The convicts faced charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder. They were initially arraigned alongside Jolaanabi’s mother, Ajibola Shared, who was later discharged of the offences. Despite pleading not guilty, the prosecuting counsel from the Osun State Ministry of Justice, Moses Faremi, presented compelling evidence against them during the trial. Three witnesses, including two sons of the deceased and a police officer, testified. The evidence included items recovered from Jolaanabi’s house, such as a stool and a club, where the deceased was held after being kidnapped on April 17, 2017.
Faremi informed the court, “They kidnapped Adamu from his house and took him to Jolaanabi’s house. They demanded a ransom of ten million naira, later reducing it to three million, which was paid and delivered in Sagamu, Ogun State. While the deceased was in their custody, his blindfold fell off, and he recognized his abductors. To cover their crime, they killed and dismembered him, throwing his body parts into the Osun River. Issa, the son of the deceased, had told the other gang members that his father did not give him his birthright, prompting the kidnapping for ransom.”
The defense counsel for the accused denied their involvement and filed a no-case submission. However, presiding judge Justice Kudirat Akano ruled that the prosecution had successfully established the crimes of conspiracy, murder, and kidnapping based on the confessional statements and the testimony of an eyewitness, who was also a prosecuting witness.
Justice Akano sentenced the convicts to 14 years in prison for conspiracy, 14 years for kidnapping, and death for murder, specifying that the terms would run concurrently.