Ekiti Court Sentences Two Kidnappers to Death for Abducting NYSC Staff

An Ekiti State High Court has sentenced two men to death by hanging for the kidnapping of a staff member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), bringing to a close a case that began with the victim’s abduction in 2022.

The convicts, Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar, were found guilty of kidnapping Omoboade Adesina, an NYSC staff member, who was abducted on April 22, 2022.

Delivering judgment, the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, sentenced the two defendants to death after finding them guilty of the offence.

A third defendant, Usman Abubakar, was however discharged and acquitted after the court held that there was insufficient evidence linking him to the crime.

The defendants were arrested and prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS), which led investigations into the kidnapping case.

Justice Ogunmoye commended the efforts of the DSS prosecutors, noting that the prosecution successfully established its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The Chief Judge particularly highlighted the role of the identification parade conducted by the DSS and the analysis of call data records, describing them as critical pieces of evidence that aided the conviction.

The court held that the evidence presented clearly connected the two convicted men to the abduction of the NYSC employee and justified the sentence imposed.

The judgment marks another successful prosecution secured by the DSS in its campaign against kidnapping, terrorism and other violent crimes across the country.

The conviction comes shortly after a Sokoto State High Court reportedly sentenced three men to death over terrorism-related offences and cross-border arms trafficking, while other kidnapping-related convictions have also been recorded in different parts of the country.

Security analysts say the latest judgment sends a strong signal to criminal elements that kidnapping and related offences will continue to attract stiff legal consequences.

The DSS has consistently maintained that intelligence-led investigations and collaboration with prosecuting authorities remain key to ensuring that perpetrators of violent crimes are brought to justice.

Authorities say the conviction reinforces ongoing efforts to combat kidnapping and strengthen public confidence in the country’s criminal justice system.