By Kamil Opeyemi
A traditional ruler and Sarkin Fulani has been sentenced to life imprisonment over kidnapping in Kwara State.
Handed the same sentence are two others who were accused of the same offence.
The sentence was handed down by a High Court sitting in Ilorin.
Those convicted are the Sarkin Fulani of Kwara, Usman Adamu, his brother, and one Gidaddo Idris.
They were tried and convicted of kidnapping one Abubakar Ahmad sometime in 2022.
The convicts were said to have collected a ransom of N1 million before releasing their victim, who had spent 20 days in captivity.
Kwara state Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Idowu Ayoola, brought the then defendants before the court for alleged conspiracy to kidnap and kidnapping itself.
In her judgment, Justice Adenike Akinpelu, held that evidence adduced by the prosecution proved that all three accused persons connived to commit the crime.
According to her, argument about whether or not they were physically present at the scene of the crime is immaterial.
The Judge said 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 to the defendants to dismiss the two-count charge against them based on the fact that they were not at the scene of the incident.”
Akinpelu lamented that, “it is saddening and disturbing that community leaders charged with the welfare of their subjects could because of the love of money, breach the security of the same subjects.
“They are hereby found guilty as charged and are so convicted.” she ordered.
After listening to the convicts’ allocutus, the judge said: “By Section 15 of the 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 ruled.
The judge also ordered the convict to pay N600,000 to the victim of the abduction as damages.