The Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, the state capital, has sentenced a traditional ruler and two others to life imprisonment for conspiracy and kidnapping.

Those convicted are the Sarkin Fulani of Kwara, Usman Adamu; his brother; and one Gidaddo Idris.

They were tried and convicted of kidnapping one Abubakar Ahmad in 2022.

The convicts were said to have collected a ransom of N1 million before releasing their victim, who spent 20 days in captivity.

The Kwara State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Idowu Ayoola, brought the monarch and two others before the court for alleged conspiracy to kidnap.

Delivering judgement on Thursday, the presiding judge, Justice Adenike Akinpelu, held that evidence adduced by the prosecution proved that all three accused persons connived to commit the crime.

The judge said the argument about whether or not they were physically present at the scene of the crime was immaterial.

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Justice Akinpelu declared that the convicts “supposedly arrested their victim claiming that he was a kidnap suspect to extort money from him”.

She added: “I am not persuaded by the submissions of counsel to the defendants to dismiss the two-count charge against them based on the fact that they were not at the scene of the incident.

“It is saddening and disturbing that community leaders charged with the welfare of their subjects could because of the love of money, breach the security of the same subjects.

“They are hereby found guilty as charged and are so convicted.”

After listening to the convicts’ allocutus, the judge said: “By Section 15 of the state Anti Kidnapping Law, the court cannot exercise any discretion of leniency.

“So, you are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment. The sentence is to run concurrently.”

Justice Akinpelu also ordered the convicts to pay N600,000 to the victim of the abduction as damages.

The Star