An Ado Ekiti High Court has sentenced one Gabriel Emmanuel to life imprisonment for kidnapping the Eleda of Eda Ile Ekiti, Oba Adeniran Omotayo.
The 25-year-old convict was arraigned before Justice Adekunle Adeleye on 8th March 2023 on a three-count charge bordering on murder, kidnapping, and demanding property with menace with intent to steal.
The charge reads, “That Gabriel Emmanuel and others at large on 13th September 2020 at Umesi Quarters, Igirigiri Road Odo-Ado Ekiti did murder one Jejelowo Fesobi David, also on 24th June 2020 at Eda-Ile Ekiti within the Jurisdiction of this honourable court did kidnap HRM Oba Adeniran Benjamin Omotayo the Eleda of Eda Ile, the monarch of Eda Ile Ekiti.
“On 20th November 2021, the defendant and others at large at Ilumoba Ekiti within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did demand the sum of #4m with menace, with intent to steal from one Barr. Joseph Olorunfemi”.
According to the charges, the offenses are contrary to sections 319 (1) and 316 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap.C16, laws of Ekiti State, 2012, and section 3 of the Ekiti State kidnap and terrorism (prohibition) law, 2015.
In his statement to the police, 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, before I knew what was happening, one of them pointed at me and I was kidnapped, my wife who was with me in the farm was released and instructed her to go and look for money or else they would kill me.
“I was with them for four days before one of my brothers brought a sum of #1.28M ransom to them, and I was later released. While I was with them, they used my wife’s phone to contact my relatives; at one point, the battery got flat, so they called somebody from the town who brought a charged battery to them; I was unable to see his face because he was masked. I was able to see and recognize the kidnapper’s faces because they were unmasked whenever they wanted to smoke.
“When I was finally released, I went to the office of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Nigerian Police Force in Ado Ekiti to make a formal report.”
To prove his case, the prosecutor, Ibironke Odetola, called four witnesses and tendered the defendant’s and victim’s statements and printouts of the call logs, among other exhibits, while the defendant spoke through his counsel, A.G Anofi, and called no witnesses.
In his judgment, Justice Adekunle Adeleye held that “The phone call logs are corroborated by the evidence of the complainant’s witnesses, while the content of the defendant’s confessional statements is consistent with the facts established in the evidence of the prosecution witnesses. The statements were made by the defendant voluntarily.
“In all, I find that the complainant has established the ingredients of the offense of kidnapping and demanding property with menace with intent to steal. He is found guilty as charged and accordingly convicted.
“On the offense 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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