A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has sentenced two men, Abubakar Sodiki and Abubakar Mohammed, to death by hanging for offences bordering on criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, kidnapping and illegal possession of firearms.
Delivering judgment, Justice Ahmed Gegele held that the evidence before the court clearly established the involvement of the defendants in the crimes.
The judge noted that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.
On the charge of illegal possession of firearms, Justice Gegele convicted the defendants under counts three and four.
The prosecution counsel, Muslimah Suleiman, had argued that the charges against the defendants were sufficiently established through the evidence presented before the court.
Counsel to the defendants, Shu’aib Ibrahim, had however, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.
While the first defendant begged the court for leniency, the second defendant insisted that he knew nothing about the allegations and urged the court to discharge and acquit him.
The prosecution, however, told the court that it was not aware of any previous criminal record against the defendants.
In his ruling, Justice Gegele said he had carefully considered the allocutus of the defendants but stressed that the court could not exercise discretion where the law had clearly prescribed punishment for the offences.
He subsequently sentenced the defendants to death by hanging.
On the charge of illegal possession of firearms, the court sentenced them to 10 years imprisonment, while for the offence of kidnapping, they were handed life imprisonment.
Justice Gegele held that the sentences would run in accordance with the provisions of the law.
The case, which commenced on April 29, 2025, had its final addresses adopted on July 30, 2025, before judgment was delivered.
Recall that the victim, Saheed Arowasi of Boriya in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, had earlier narrated his ordeal in the hands of the kidnappers while testifying before the court.
He told the court that the kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of N100 million, but after negotiations, the amount was reduced to N10 million before he was eventually released.
