SEVEN men involved in the abduction of the former Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF) Chief Olu Falae, were on Monday, sentenced to life imprisonment by an Akure High Court.
The seven men who were standing trial on five count charge of armed robbery, conspiracy, kidnapping, aiding and abetting, were found guilty of the kidnapping charge brought against them by the Ondo State government.
The seven men, who were all Fulani herdsmen, were found guilty of kidnapping the elder statesman on his farm in Ilado Village, Akure North Local Government Area of the state in September, 2015.
The convicts are: Abubakar Auta, Bello Jannu, Umaru Ibarahim, Masahudu Muhammed, Idris Lawal, Abdulkadir Umar and Babawo Kato.
The offences were said to be contrary to Section 2 of Anti-Kidnapping and Anti-Abduction Law, 5(1) (a) of the Anti-Kidnapping and Anti-Abduction Laws, Section 3(11)(b) of the Anti-Kidnapping and Abduction Law, Section 6(b) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision) Act, Cap R11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and Section 1(2)(a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Cap R11, Vol. 14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Delivering his judgement, Justice Williams Olamide held that the suspects were guilty of the kidnapping charge, noting that from the recovered ransom, call logs, and identification of the suspects by Chief Falae confirmed their participation in the crime and subsequently sentenced them to life imprisonment without an option of fine.
He however discharged them of four of the charges, conspiracy and armed robbery.
In his reaction counsel to the suspects, Abdul Raham Yusuf expressed regrets of the judgement and disclosed his client’s intention to appeal the judgement.
The Director of Public Prosecution at the Ondo state Ministry of Justice, Mrs Areola Adeyemi -Tuki described the judgement as justice well served.
It would be recalled that the former Minister for Finance spent about a week in the den of the kidnappers in September 2015 before he was released after paying a sum of N5 million as ransom to the hoodlums.
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