Two kidnappers arrested by the Department of State Services have been sentenced to death by an Ekiti State High Court, following their conviction for kidnapping a staff member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
The kidnappers namely; Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar have been convicted by a High Court of Ekiti State in suit number HAD/124C/2022.
A third defendant, Usman Abubakar, was however discharged after the Court found insufficient evidence linking him to the abduction.
The case bordered on the abduction of Omoboade Adesina, a female National Youth Service Corps staff member in Ekiti State, on 22nd April, 2022.
The two convicts were subsequently arrested by the DSS and prosecuted accordingly.
While delivering judgment, the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, sentenced the two defendants to death by hanging and discharged the third defendant
The trial judge commended the diligence of DSS prosecutors in proving the case beyond reasonable doubt.
Justice Ogunmoye specifically highlighted the identification parade conducted by the Service and the analysis of Call Data Records during investigation as pivotal to securing the conviction.
The conviction marked yet another major courtroom victory for the DSS, coming on the heels of a death sentence handed down by a Sokoto High Court against three men convicted of terrorism and cross-border arms proliferation, as well as the conviction another kidnapper in Kogi State earlier secured by the Service among others.
The string of successful prosecutions further underscores the effectiveness of the DSS’ intelligence-driven approach to investigating and prosecuting violent crimes.
It also reaffirmed the commitment of the Service in ensuring that perpetrators of kidnapping, terrorism, and related offences do not escape the full weight of the law.
