An High Court sitting in Ede, Osun State, sentenced a man, suspected to be herdsman to death for kidnapping, killing of his father.
It was gathered that Issa Ibrahim and four others, identified as Lateef Bello, Abdulrahmon Soliu, Bello Ibrahim, and Jolaanabi Saheed, were sentenced to death for allegedly killing Mr. Adamu Ibrahim over inheritance.
They were arraigned on four counts of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder, alongside Jolaanabi’s mother, Ajibola Saheed, who was later acquitted of the charges.
However, they pleaded not guilty to the alleged offences.
The defence counsel from the Osun State Ministry of Justice, Assistant Director, Moses Faremi during the trial, called three witnesses; two sons of the deceased and a police officer.
He tendered evidence against them including a stool, club, and others items recovered from Jolaanabi’s house, where the deceased was kept, at Owode-Ede after he was kidnapped on April 17th 2017.
Faremi said: “They kidnapped Adamu from his house and took him to Jolaanabi’s house.
“They demanded a ransom of N10 million, later reduced to N3 million, which was paid and delivered in Sagamu, Ogun State. While in captivity, Adamu’s blindfold fell off, and he recognized his abductors.
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“They then killed and dismembered him, disposing of his remains in the Osun River to cover their crime.
“Issa, the deceased’s son, revealed to the gang that his father did not give him his birthright, prompting the abduction for ransom.”
In her judgment, Justice Kudirat Akano stated that the prosecution successfully proved the crimes of conspiracy, murder, and kidnapping through confessional statements and eyewitness testimony.
She sentenced the convicts to 14 years for conspiracy, 14 years for kidnapping, and death for murder, with all sentences to run concurrently.
Justice Kudirat said: “For conspiracy, I sentence the convicts to 14 years imprisonment, for murder, I sentence them to death, and for kidnapping, I sentence them to 14 years imprisonment which will run concurrently.”
