Court Sentences Two to Death Over Kidnap of Corps Members

June 26 () — Justice came for a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member abducted more than four years ago after an Ekiti State High Court sentenced two convicted kidnappers, Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar, to death by hanging for their roles in the crime.

The judgment, delivered by the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, found the two defendants guilty after the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The court, however, discharged and acquitted the third defendant, Usman Abubakar, for lack of sufficient evidence linking him to the offence.

The case arose from the abduction of Miss Omoboade Adesina, a female NYSC member, who was kidnapped on April 22, 2022, in Ekiti State, an incident that sparked outrage and heightened concerns over insecurity in the state.

In his ruling, Justice Ogunmoye held that the evidence presented before the court clearly established the culpability of Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar, warranting the maximum punishment prescribed by law for the offence of kidnapping.

The Chief Judge subsequently sentenced both convicts to death by hanging, affirming that the prosecution had successfully established all the ingredients of the offence beyond a reasonable doubt.

Justice Ogunmoye also commended prosecutors from the Department of State Services (DSS) for their diligence, professionalism, and painstaking investigation, noting that their efforts ensured the successful prosecution of the case.

He observed that the prosecution presented credible and convincing evidence that left no reasonable doubt as to the involvement of the two convicts in the abduction of the corps member.

The acquittal of the third defendant, Usman Abubakar, the court held, was based on the prosecution’s inability to sufficiently establish his involvement in the crime, underscoring the principle that criminal convictions must rest on credible evidence.

The judgment is being hailed as a major victory in Ekiti State’s fight against kidnapping and other violent crimes, reinforcing the state’s determination to ensure that perpetrators of such offences face the full weight of the law.