An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced an ex-convict and three other men to death by hanging after finding them guilty of kidnapping and murdering a prominent resident, Chief Emmanuel Ajayi.
The convicts, Jimoh Dele, 57; Ige Adu, 56; Ogunremi Bunmi, 53; and Ayeni Blessing, 32, were convicted by Justice Olalekan Olatawura on charges bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping, murder and illegal possession of firearms.
The four had been arraigned before the court on September 1, 2022, over the abduction and killing of Chief Ajayi on May 5, 2022, along the Immigration Office area of Ado-Ekiti.
According to the prosecution, the defendants conspired to kidnap the deceased from his residence before subsequently murdering him.
They were also accused of unlawfully possessing four cut-to-size single-barrel guns and 13 live cartridges recovered during police investigations.
The offences were said to contravene Sections 516A, 3(a) and 319(1) of the Criminal Code Law of Ekiti State, 2012, as well as Section 3(1) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Prohibition) Act.
Testifying before the court, a police officer attached to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Sergeant Oladele Ayodeji, narrated how the police received a distress call that Chief Ajayi had been kidnapped by armed men from his residence.
He said that shortly afterwards, another report indicated that the victim had fallen from the boot of the kidnappers’ vehicle and was found critically injured by the roadside near the Immigration Office in Ado-Ekiti.
According to the officer, the victim was rushed to a hospital behind the Immigration Office before being referred to ABUAD Multi-System Hospital, where he later died from the severe injuries sustained.
The prosecution witness further told the court that one of the suspects, Akeem Banjo Adebayo, who allegedly escaped during the operation, was later arrested at a robbery scene in the Ekute area of Ado-Ekiti.
During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to being involved in kidnapping activities and identified Jimoh Dele and Ogunremi Bunmi as members of the gang.
He added that the remaining defendants were subsequently apprehended at different locations, while a search of Jimoh Dele’s residence led to the recovery of four locally-made cut-to-size single-barrel guns, 13 live cartridges and hair attachments concealed inside a sack.
To establish its case, the prosecution, led by Kunle-Shina Adeyemo, called two witnesses and tendered several exhibits, including the defendants’ confessional statements, certificates of compliance, the recovered firearms and ammunition, a video compact disc and the medical report issued by ABUAD Multi-System Hospital.
The defendants testified in their own defence through their counsel, Adeyinka Opaleke and Olugbolaga Sunday, but called no additional witnesses.
Delivering judgment, Justice Olatawura held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge observed that the confessional statements of the first, second and third defendants revealed that they were serial kidnappers, armed robbers and housebreakers, while describing the third defendant, Ogunremi Bunmi, as an ex-convict.
He said: ‘The society will be better off if persons of grave criminal disposition like these heartless defendants are perpetually kept away for good. In any event, the punishments prescribed for the offences are mandatory and leave no room for the exercise of judicial discretion.’
Justice Olatawura sentenced each of the four convicts to 21 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy. On the charge of illegal possession of firearms, Jimoh Dele was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment with an option of a ?20,000 fine, while the remaining defendants were discharged and acquitted on that count.
For the offences of kidnapping and murder, however, the court sentenced all four convicts to death by hanging.
‘The sentence of this court upon each of you is that you be hanged by the neck until you are dead. May God have mercy on your souls,’ the judge declared, adding that the prison terms would run concurrently.