Ondo Court sentences 3 to death by hanging for kidnapping

An Ondo State High Court, sitting in Akure, has sentenced a threeman gang kidnappers, that orchestrated kidnapping of two reverend sisters at Onipetesi on Ore-lagos expressway and collected a ransom of N1million before their release, to death by hanging.

The trio convicts, Reuben Akinbehinje, John Imoleayo Uche and Seun Iseoluwa Akintan, were dragged to court on an eight-count charge of conspiracy, kidnapping, armed robbery, aiding and abetting kidnapping and accessory after the fact.initially, a couple and five others were arraigned before the court namely Saheed Oyewo, Seun Lajuwomi, Abimbola Akinbehinje, Lateef Fayemi Hammed alongside the three convicted persons.

But while delivering his judgment on the matter, Ademola Adegoroye, the presiding judge found the trio convicted persons guilty of all the charges and sentenced them to death by hanging.

However, one of the defendants, Saheed Oyewo had died in prison custody before the determination of the case.

The wife of the first defendant, Abimbola Akinbehinje facing a charge of being an accessory after the fact was fined N50, 000 as she had already spent two years in prison custody before she was released on bail.

The court had shown leniency on her after her defense counsel, Felix Afe during allocutus told the court that the wife was a first offender and they had little children as issues in the marriage.

The third and seventh defendants; Seun Lajuwomi and Lateef Fayemi Hammed were let off the hook as the judge said that the prosecution had no evidence against them.

According to Babatunde Falodun of the Department of Public Prosecutions, Ondo state Ministry of Justice, who led the prosecution, the accused persons had allegedly conspired together and kidnapped Reverend Sister Perpetual Idowu Apo and Reverend Sister Bukola Roseline Familade along with their driver Yohanna Zibai and held them hostage for eleven days in the bush, tied together with chains and under lock until the N1million ransom finally agreed upon by both parties was paid to the kidnappers.

The accused persons along with other gang members who were said to be at large and armed with offensive weapons such as guns and cutlasses had robbed the Reverend Sisters of their valuables such as bags, internet modem and flash, power bank and a total sum of N70,000 naira while they stripped one of them of her veil.