A Kogi High Court has sentenced a man, Jibrin Halilu, to death for kidnapping and killing his neighbour after collecting a N2.5 million ransom from the victim’s family.
Justice Abdul Awulu delivered the judgment on Wednesday, convicting Halilu on charges of conspiracy and kidnapping.
The offences contravened Sections 12, 6(1) and 4(3)(a) of the Kogi State Kidnapping and Other Related Offences Prohibition Law, 2023.
The Department of State Services (DSS), which prosecuted the case, told the court that Halilu and members of his gang abducted Uche Offo, proprietor of Ever Ready Hotel in Angwa-Tiv, Obajana, on March 23, 2023.
According to the prosecution, the victim’s family paid the N2.5 million ransom demanded by the kidnappers, but Offo was later killed.
A source within the DSS disclosed that the victim recognised Halilu as his neighbour while in captivity, a development believed to have led to his killing.
The source further said investigations linked Halilu and his gang to the kidnapping of Ibrahim Abdullahi in Oshokoshoko community, Lokoja, on April 2, 2023.
The gang was said to have collected N5 million ransom from Abdullahi’s family before his release.
