An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced two men, Ojo Babajide (31) and Olajide Nathaniel (35), to a combined 30 years in prison for kidnapping a student of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE).
The judgment was delivered on Thursday by Justice Adeniyi Familoni, who found the two men guilty of conspiracy and kidnapping, offences that violate Sections 279 and 280 of the Ekiti State Criminal Law, 2021.
The convicts were first arraigned on July 19, 2022. According to the charge sheet, the incident occurred on March 23, 2022, in Oye-Ekiti, when the victim, Atana Emmanuel, a student and part-time barber, was abducted from his shop at about 7:00 p.m.
Narrating his ordeal in court, Emmanuel said, “They entered my shop and ordered me into a waiting car. I refused, but they forced me in. I was taken to an unknown place and later to a hotel in Ado-Ekiti. They made me pay for the hotel room via mobile transfer and asked me to call my relatives for a N1 million ransom.”
He added that after he was only able to raise N101,000, the kidnappers became violent. “They ordered me to remove my clothes and started beating me with a horsewhip. I sustained bruises all over before they eventually released me,” he said.
The prosecutor, Kunle-shina Adeyemo, presented the victim and statements from both the suspects and the victim as evidence. The defence lawyer, Akinola Abon, pleaded for leniency, noting that both men were recent university graduates preparing for their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.
However, Justice Familoni ruled that their actions must carry consequences. “Kidnapping continues to threaten peace in our society. These two willingly chose this path and must face the result of their decision. They deserve more than a slap on the wrist,” he said.
Both men were sentenced to five years for conspiracy and 10 years for kidnapping. The sentences are to run concurrently, meaning each will spend a total of 15 years in prison.
The court hopes the punishment will serve as a deterrent to others involved in similar crimes.
