An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has sentenced two men to 25 years imprisonment each for kidnapping.
The convicts, Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdulahi Abubakar, were among four persons initially arraigned before Justice Lekan Ogunmoye in October 2022 on charges bordering on conspiracy, murder and kidnapping.
Another defendant, Abdulazeez Alebiosu, reportedly died during the trial process.
According to the prosecution, the case was linked to incidents that happened between March and April 2022 when gunmen attacked a farm and killed a farmer identified as Taiwo Adesina after shooting him in the head.
The victim was taken to Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital where he was confirmed dead on arrival.
The court heard that shortly after the killing, the farmer’s wife — said to be a staff member of the National Youth Service Corps in the state — visited the farm alongside her son and brother-in-law to inspect the situation.
While they were there, armed men reportedly invaded the property, scaled the fence and abducted her on a motorcycle to an unknown destination.
The kidnappers later used her phone to demand a ransom of ₦10 million from her family. However, relatives were only able to raise ₦3.25 million before she regained freedom.
During the trial, the victim reportedly identified some of the kidnappers after they were paraded by the police.
In his judgment, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye discharged and acquitted the second defendant, Usman Abubakar, after the victim failed to mention him in her testimony.
The court also cleared all defendants of the conspiracy and murder charges, ruling that the prosecution failed to prove those allegations beyond reasonable doubt.
However, Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdulahi Abubakar were found guilty of kidnapping and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment each.