A Bayelsa State High Court in Yenagoa has sentenced two men to death by hanging for kidnapping Mrs. Grace Omietimi, the mother of Dr. James Omietimi, the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Center in Yenagoa.

Felix Oburu and Anthony Kio Eligwe were found guilty of kidnapping the victim and holding her captive for weeks before letting her go.

The court heard that the two men worked with other criminals, who are still on the loose, to commit the crime.

Oburu is from the Omoku Community in the Ogba/Egbema Local Government Area, and Eligwe is from the Oyigba Community in the Ahoada West Local Government Area, both in Rivers State.

The court records say that Omietimi was kidnapped on September 17, 2017, and taken to Oyigba Community, where she was held for weeks.

Her family paid a ransom, and she was finally let go.

The Department of State Services later caught the suspects after intelligence-led operations tracked their movements and actions.

The Chief Judge of Bayelsa State, Justice Matilda A. Ayemieye, ruled on Thursday that the prosecution’s case was strong enough to convict the defendants.

The court then gave both men the death penalty by hanging.

During the trial, the prosecution called Grace Omietimi to the stand. She told a detailed story about what it was like to be held captive.

She said that the second defendant, Anthony Kio Eligwe, was the person who kept her in his house the whole time.

The Investigating Officer from the DSS Bayelsa State Command backed up her story by explaining how they found and arrested the suspects.

The ruling ends a case that has been going on for years and strengthens the courts’ stance against kidnapping and other crimes related to it.

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Hamatu Modu, a significant food supplier to Boko Haram militants in Borno State, was given a 40-year prison sentence by Justice Binta Fatima Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, for his involvement in terrorism-related operations.

Through the offices of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, the Federal Government prosecuted Modu.

Arraigned on four counts, the convict acknowledged in public court that he had provided food and information to the terrorist organization.

After being read the allegations, he entered a guilty plea.

The Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), was reportedly in charge of the prosecution.

Modu was given a 10-year prison sentence on each of the four offenses by Justice Nyako.

However, the court ordered that the sentences run consecutively after the defense attorney entered a plea, so lowering the total amount of time to be served to ten years.

In a related event, Isah Ali, another food supplier, was found guilty by the court of comparable offenses connected to terrorist activities in Borno State.

Ali admitted to the crime and was given a 10-year prison term.

The court decided that his three-year-old arrest date would be the start of his jail sentence.

In addition, Justice Nyako mandated that both prisoners participate in deradicalization and rehabilitation programs after serving their prison sentences.

The Federal Ministry of Interior was also directed by the court to choose the prisons where the offenders will serve their sentences.

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On Tuesday, four armed robbers—Shafi’u Abubakar, Usman Suleiman, Usman Sa’idu, and Ali Isa—were sentenced to ten years in jail and a fine of N10,000 by a Kano State High Court presided over by Justice Adam Abdullahi.
The defendants were charged with three offenses under Sections 97 and 298(c) of the Penal Code, including armed robbery and criminal conspiracy.

The prisoners, who were all from Rijiyar Lemo, Kano, planned to carry out armed robberies in homes in the Sabon Garin Doka and Bankaura areas of Ungogo LGA.

According to the first count of charges, the defendants entered the homes of Mansur Muazu (Sabon Garin Doka, Ungogo LGA) and Abdullahi Musa (Bankaura Quarters, Ungogo LGA) between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m. on July 22, 2024, equipped with lethal weapons, attacked them, and stole valuables. According to Section 97 of the Penal Code, this behavior is illegal.

According to the second count, Abdullahi Musa was attacked and robbed by the defendants at his home in Bankaura Quarters, Ungogo LGA, on the same day at around three in the morning. One Infinix phone for N50,000, one Tecno keypad phone worth N5,000, a Lifan motorcycle worth N700,000, and N800 in cash were among the stolen goods. The Penal Code’s Section 298(c) imposes penalties for this offense.

According to the third count, Mansur Muazu was attacked and robbed by the defendants at his home in Sabon Garin Doka, Ungogo LGA, on July 22, 2024, at around four in the morning. They took N201,000 in cash and 500 CFA in cash.
Section 298(c) of the Penal Code likewise imposes penalties for this offense.

Barrister Ibrahim Garba Arif, the prosecution’s attorney, called two witnesses in order to establish the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

However, the defendants altered their plea from “not guilty” to “guilty,” with defense attorney Barrister Basira Yunus representing them.

The offenders were given a 10-year prison sentence and a fine of N10,000 for each of the three crimes after the court hastily tried them.

The court ruled that the sentences will begin to run concurrently on July 22, 2024, the day of their arrest.

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