Kwara monarch, two others bag life imprisonment for kidnapping
Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin on Thursday sentenced the Serikin Fulani also known as Ardo (Head of the Fulani) in Kwara State, Alhaji Usman Adamu, his brother and one Gidado Idris to life imprisonment for conspiracy to kidnap and commission of kidnapping.
The case was investigated by the Department of State Security and prosecuted by the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in the state Ministry of Justice.
The DPP, Mr Ayoola Akande, charged the Serikin Fulani, and two others with the offence of kidnapping one Abubakar Ahmad and collected a ransom of N1m before his eventual release after spending 20 days with them in the bush.
The kidnap incident, according to the prosecution, took place between May and June 2022.
In her judgment, Justice Akinpelu said the trio were all in agreement to commit the offence, adding that whether they were physically present at the kidnap scene or not was immaterial.
She added that the convicts “supposedly arrested their victim claiming that he was a kidnap suspect to extort money from him.
“I am not persuaded by the submissions of counsel for the defendants to dismiss the two-count charge against them based on the fact that they were not at the scene of the incident.”
The judge said the trio were all in agreement to commit a crime, adding whether they were physically present at the kidnap scene or not was immaterial.
Akinpelu lamented that “it is saddening and disturbing that community leaders charged with the welfare of their subjects could, because of the love for money, breach the security of the same subjects.
“They are hereby found guilty as charged and are so convicted.”
After listening to the convicts' allocutus plea of having over 20 children, more than eight wives and being the bread winners of their families, the judge said, “By Section 15 of the Kwara State Anti-Kidnapping Law, the court cannot exercise any discretion of leniency, so you are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment. The sentence is to run concurrently.”
She ordered that a sum of N600,000 be paid to Alhaji Ahmad who is the victim of the abduction.
Cloud Tag: What's trending
Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.
Firdaos Amasa Medinat Folorunsho Salman Abioye Bello Mazars Consulting Omotoso Musa Awodun Rebecca Bake Christopher Ayeni Mahmud Ayinla Giwa Economic And Financial Crimes Commission Imodoye Writer’s Enclave Alabe Opaleke Bukola Iyabo Aishat Mohammed Lawal Segun Ogunsola Voices Of Tomorrow Gobirawa Gbemisola Saraki Quareeb Islamic Association Bello John Olanrewaju Sebastine Obasi Yusuf Lanre Badmus Centre For Community Empowerment And Poverty Eradication Veterinary Teaching Hospital Awili Pedro Olaiya Victor Mobolaji IF-K Mohammed Lawal Bagega PharmAccess Foundation Ahmed Saidu Rufai Quranic Recitation Competition Joseph Daudu Benin Republic Laboratory-to-Product Memunat Monsuma Sherif Shagaya Neuropsychiatric Hospital Olaitan Adefila Lukman Oyebanji Fagbemi Shururat Olatinwo Apaokagi General Hospital, Ilorin KWASSIP Habeeb Abdullahi Al-Ilory Chartered Institute Of Personnel Management Of Nigeria Abdulrauf Yusuf Rafiu Olasile Shehu Adaramaja Amasa Aminat Ahmed Fatimah Abdulkadir Shade Omoniyi Lafia Aliyu Korasabi Vasolar Consortium Ojo Isekuse Shuaib Boni Aliyu Joana Nnazua Kolo Abdulquawiy Olododo Okin High School Bisi Kristien Gobir Organization Foundation Ahman Pategi University Joshua Adeyemi Adimula Busari Toyin Isiaka Senate Presidency Oyedepo Shuaib Olarongbe COVID Rice Farmers Association Of Nigeria Salman Alada International Public Sector Accounting Standards Ilorin Airport Olatunde Michaels Post-utme Abdulrasheed Na\'Allah Ohoro Of Shao Abdulrauf Aliyu

