An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has sentenced three men to a combined 97 years imprisonment without option of fine for kidnapping, armed robbery, and unlawful possession of firearms.
The convicts — Augustine Agbogbo (40 years), Adeniyi Olamilekan (25 years), and Ademoh Gabriel (32 years) — were found guilty of the offences.
The court, however, discharged and acquitted Ogungbemi Gbenga, Monday Rakiya, and Oseni Mutairu after the prosecution failed to prove the charges against them.
The six defendants were arraigned before Justice Adeniyi Familoni in August 2023 on a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping, armed robbery, and unlawful possession of offensive weapons.
According to the charge, the defendants allegedly carried out kidnappings and armed robberies in different parts of Ekiti State between June 2022 and April 2023, during which firearms and ammunition were recovered from them.
A retired Naval officer, Lt Cdr Victoria Eisape, testified that she and another victim were abducted along the Itapaji–Iyemero Road and forced to pay ransom before being released.
Delivering judgment, Justice Familoni held that the prosecution successfully proved the offences against the convicted defendants, noting that their confessional statements were reliable and not an afterthought.
He also stressed the need for stiff punishment, saying kidnapping remained a serious threat despite ongoing efforts to curb it.
The court ordered that all sentences run concurrently, effective from the date of arrest and remand of the convicts.
