Court sentenced 2 graduates to 30 years imprisonment; Reveals reasons

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An Ekiti State High Court, Ado Ekiti Division, has sentenced two graduates, Ojo Babajide (31) and Olajide Nathaniel (35), to 30 years imprisonment for kidnapping a student at the Federal University Oye Ekiti. The defendants were found guilty of conspiracy and kidnapping and were sentenced to 10 years each for kidnapping and five years each for conspiracy.

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The victim, a student and hair salon operator, was kidnapped on March 23, 2022, and was forced to pay a ransom of N1 million for his release. He was able to raise N101,000, but the defendants still subjected him to physical abuse before releasing him.

“I was in a shop around 7 p.m. when the defendants moved towards me and ordered me into a waiting car. I initially refused, but I was forced to do their bidding,” the victim said in his statement to the police

The prosecutor, Kunle-Shina Adeyemo, presented evidence and witnesses to prove the defendants’ guilt. The defendants’ lawyer, Akinola Abon, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, citing the defendants’ youth and their preparation for the National Youth Service Corps program.

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However, Justice Adeniyi Familoni found the defendants guilty and sentenced them to 30 years imprisonment. “The incidents of kidnapping in our communities appeared unabated despite genuine and concerted efforts being made to curb the vice,” the judge said.

“In this vein, they deserve more than a slap on the wrist as the penal sanction for their misdeed to serve as a deterrent to others,” Familoni added. “Consequently, they are both sentenced to five years imprisonment for conspiracy and 10 years imprisonment each for kidnapping without answering an option of fine.

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