An Ekiti State High Court has sentenced two men to death by hanging for kidnapping a staff member of the National Youth Service Corps in the state.
The convicts, Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar, were found guilty by the Ekiti State High Court I, Fajuyi, Ado-Ekiti, in Suit No. HAD/124C/2022.
The court, however, discharged and acquitted a third defendant, Usman Abubakar, after ruling that the prosecution failed to establish his involvement in the crime.
The case arose from the abduction of an NYSC staff member, Omoboade Adesina, who was kidnapped in Ekiti State on April 22, 2022.
The Department of State Services subsequently arrested the suspects and prosecuted the case.
Delivering judgment, the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced Ibrahim and Abdullahi to death by hanging.
Justice Ogunmoye commended the prosecution team for its diligent handling of the case, noting that the identification parade conducted by the DSS and the analysis of the suspects’ Call Data Records were critical in securing the conviction.
The judge said the evidence presented before the court established the guilt of the two convicts beyond reasonable doubt.
The conviction marks another successful prosecution by the DSS in its campaign against kidnapping and other violent crimes.
The service reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that perpetrators of kidnapping, terrorism and related offences are brought to justice.
