The Ekiti State High Court in Ado-Ekiti, on Monday, March 10, 2025, sentenced a 25-year-old man, Gabriel Emmanuel, to life imprisonment for kidnapping a traditional ruler in the state.
The 25-year-old man was arraigned before Justice Adekunle Adeleye on March 8, 2023, on three count charge of murder, kidnapping, and demanding property with menace with intent to steal.
During trial, the prosecution counsel, Ibironke Odetola, said Emmannuel and others at large on September 13, 2020, at Umesi Quarters, Igirigiri Road, Odo-Ado Ekiti murdered one Jejelowo Fesobi
Odetola added that on June 24, 2020, at Eda-Ile, Ekiti State, the convict and others kidnapped a traditional ruler, the Eleda of Eda-Ile, Oba Adeniran Omotayo.
He further stated that the convict with others still at large on November 20, 2021, demanded N4 million with menace, with intent to steal from one Joseph Olorunfemi in Ilumoba Ekiti.
According to the charges, the offences contravened Sections 319 (1), 316 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap.C16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012 and Section 3 of Ekiti State Kidnap and Terrorism (Prohibition) Law, 2015.
In his testimony during trial, Oba Adeniran said: “I went to Abaojo, one of my settlements in Eda-Ile Ekiti; suddenly, I saw some men, all of them carried AK-47 riffles.
“One of them pointed at me and I was kidnapped. My wife who was with me in the farm was released and instructed to go and look for money or else they would kill me.
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“I was with them for four days before one of my brothers brought a sum of N1.28 million ransom to them and I was later released.
“While I was with them, they used my wife’s phone to contact my relatives. At a point the battery got flat; they called somebody from the town who brought a charged battery to them.
“I was unable to see his face because he was masked, but I was able to see and recognise the kidnappers’ faces because they unmasked whenever they want to smoke.
“When I was finally released, I went to office of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Nigerian Police Force in Ado-Ekiti to make a formal report.”
Delivering judgement on Monday, Justice Adeleye said: “The phone call log was corroborated by the evidence of the complainant while the content of the defendant’s confessional statements were consistent with the facts established in the evidence of the prosecution witnesses.
“In all, I find that the prosecution counsel has established the ingredients of the offence of kidnapping and demanding property with menance with intent to steal.
“The defendant is found guilty as charged and accordingly convicted.
“On the offence of kidnapping, the defendant is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment and as well sentenced to three years imprisonment for demanding property with menace, with intent to steal.”
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