An Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti has sentenced four men to life imprisonment for kidnapping a 75-year-old woman in Ikere Ekiti.
According to The PUNC, the defendants, identified as Adeoye Sunday, Adewusi Dare, Bamigboye Damilola, and Ogunlayi Seun, were also given an additional five-year prison sentence for conspiracy.
The court acquitted the fifth defendant, Ojo Tope, of all charges.
The incident occurred on September 14, 2017, when the defendants abducted Madam Florence Popoola from her home in Ikere Ekiti.
She was held captive in a forest between Eyio and Awo-Ekiti for four days until a ransom of N1.5 million was paid for her release.
The defendants faced charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery, kidnapping, and conspiracy to kidnap.
Julius Ajibare, the Director of Public Prosecutions for Ekiti State, led the prosecution, presenting four witnesses and eight exhibits to substantiate the charges.
The defendants, represented by their legal counsel, Chris Omokhafe and Sunday Ochai, testified in their own defense but did not call any additional witnesses.
In his judgment, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye ruled that the prosecution had successfully proven the charges of conspiracy to kidnap and kidnapping against the first four defendants.
Consequently, they were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for kidnapping and an additional five years for conspiracy to kidnap.
The charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and armed robbery were dismissed for lack of sufficient evidence.
The fifth defendant, Ojo Tope, was fully acquitted and discharged.
