A High Court in Kogi State has sentenced Jibrin Halilu to death after finding him guilty of kidnapping and involvement in the killing of his neighbour, even after a ransom of N2.5 million was paid.
Justice Abdul Nicodemus Awulu delivered the ruling on Tuesday, convicting him on charges of conspiracy and kidnapping under the state’s anti-kidnapping law.
The court held that the offences violated sections 12, 6(1), and 4(3)(a) of the Kogi State Kidnapping and Other Related Offences Prohibition Law, 2023.
Court documents and DSS findings showed that Halilu and members of his gang stormed Ever Ready Hotel in Obajana on March 23, 2023, and abducted the owner, Uche Andrew Offo.
Although the victim’s family paid the ransom demanded by the kidnappers, he was still killed in captivity.
Security sources also claimed that during the operation, the victim recognised Halilu as someone he knew, a situation that reportedly influenced his killing.
“Further investigations by the DSS also linked Halilu and his gang to the April 2, 2023 kidnapping of one Ibrahim Abdullahi, a resident of Oshokoshoko community in Lokoja, from whom the gang collected a N5 million ransom,” the source said.
The case is part of wider efforts by security agencies and courts to clamp down on kidnapping and related violent crimes across the country.
