Ekiti court sentences two men to death over abduction of NYSC staff member

Justice Lekan Ogunmoye of Ekiti High Court on Monday sentenced two men identified as Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar to death after he declared them guilty of kidnapping a staff member of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC

The two men arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS following the abduction of the NYSC staff member, Omoboade Adesina, in Ekiti State on 22nd April 2022.

A third defendant, Usman Abubakar, was however discharged after the Court held that there was insufficient evidence linking him to the crime.

Th DSS arrested and subsequently prosecuted three suspects over the abduction.

The Court, however, discharged and acquitted the third defendant, Usman Abubakar.

Justice Ogunmoye commended the diligence and professionalism of the DSS prosecutors for successfully proving the case beyond reasonable doubt.

He specifically highlighted the identification parade conducted by the Service, as well as the analysis of Call Data Records during investigation, as critical pieces of evidence that strengthened the prosecution’s case and ultimately secured the conviction.

DSS said the judgment marked another major courtroom success for its sustained efforts to combat violent crimes across the country.

The conviction came on the heels of a death sentence recently handed down by a Sokoto State High Court against three men convicted of terrorism and cross-border arms proliferation.

It also followed the successful conviction of a kidnap suspect in Kogi State earlier secured by the Service, among other prosecutions.

The secret Police noted that the string of successful prosecutions underscores the increasing reliance on intelligence-led investigations in tackling kidnapping, terrorism, and other violent crimes.

It also reinforced the commitment of the DSS to ensuring that perpetrators of kidnapping, terrorism, and related criminal offences are brought to justice and made to face the full weight of the law.