Man jailed for life over kidnapping of Ekiti traditional ruler

An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced one Gabriel Emmanuel to life imprisonment for kidnapping the Eleda of Eda Ile-Ekiti, Oba Adeniran Omotayo.

The 25-year-old convict was arraigned before Justice Adekunle Adeleye on 8 March 2023 on three charges bordering on murder, kidnapping, and demanding property with menace with intent to steal.

The charge reads, “that Gabriel Emmanuel and others at large on 13 September 2020 at Umesi Quarters, Igirigiri Road, Odo-Ado Ekiti did murder one Jejelowo Fesobi David, and also on 24 June 2020 at Eda-Ile Ekiti within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did kidnap HRM Oba Adeniran Benjamin Omotayo, the Eleda of Eda Ile, the monarch of Eda Ile-Ekiti.

“On 20 November 2021, the defendant and others at large at Ilumoba Ekiti within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did demand the sum of N4m with menace, with intent to steal from one Barr. Joseph Olorunfemi.”

According to the charges, “the offences are contrary to sections 319 (1), 316 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap. C16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012, and section 3 of Ekiti State Kidnap and Terrorism (Prohibition) Law, 2015.”

In his statement to the police, Oba Adeniran said, “I went to Abaojo, one of my settlements in Eda Ile Ekiti. Suddenly, I saw some men, all of them carrying AK-47 rifles. Before I knew what was happening, one of them pointed at me and I was kidnapped. My wife, who was with me on the farm, was released and instructed to go and look for money or else they would kill me.

“I was with them for four days before one of my brothers brought a sum of N1.28 million ransom to them and I was later released. While I was with them, they used my wife’s phone to contact my relatives. At one point, the battery went flat. They called somebody from the town who brought a charged battery to them. I was unable to see his face because he was masked. I was able to see and recognise the kidnappers’ faces because they unmasked whenever they wanted to smoke.

When I was finally released, I went to the office of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Nigerian Police Force in Ado Ekiti to make a formal report.”

To prove the case, the prosecutor, Ibironke Odetola, called four witnesses and tendered the defendant’s and victim’s statements, printouts of the call logs, among others, as exhibits.

The defendant spoke through his counsel, A.G. Anofi, and called no witness.

In his judgment, Justice Adeleye said the prosecuting team proved the allegations against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt.

He said, “The phone call logs are corroborated by the evidence of the complainants’ witnesses, while the content of the defendant’s confessional statements is consistent with the facts established in the evidence of the prosecution witnesses. The statements were made by the defendant voluntarily.

“In all, I find that the complainant has established the ingredients of the offence of kidnapping and demanding property with menace with intent to steal. He is found guilty as charged and accordingly convicted.

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