Five persons were on Tuesday sentenced to death by hanging in Osun state for murder of a Fulani herder, Alhaji Ibrahim Adamu.
The pronouncement was made by Justice Kudirat Akano of the state high court sitting in Ede,
The convicts ,Ibrahim Issa, Lateef Bello, AbdulRamon Soliu, Bello Ibrahim and AbuduMumini Saheed, were arraigned on October 28, 2021, for kidnapping and murder of the Fulani herder.
They were arraigned on four counts bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping and murder, contrary to sections 324, 319 and 364 of the criminal code, law of Osun state, 2002.
During the trial, the prosecution led by Faremi Moses of the state ministry of justice told the court that the convicts kidnapped Adamu on April 17, 2018, around 7:45p.m in his residential building at Owode-Ede, in Ede North local government area of the state.
The prosecution told the court that the convicts collected N3 million ransom from the family of their victim and later killed him.
He called three witnesses including the Investigating Police Officer, Ganiyu Taofeek, who tendered several exhibits including extra-judicial statements and a mask used by the kidnappers.
He narrated how the convicts mutilated the corpse of the deceased and shared it after which they dumped the remains inside the Osun river.
Saheed also narrated how they killed their victim and shared the ransom in his confessional statement tendered before the court.
The court held that the prosecutor had proven the case against the convict beyond reasonable doubt and convicted them accordingly.
Their counsels, Bola Ige and Folashade Ipede, prayed to the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing them.
Justice Akano hereby sentenced each of them to death by hanging for murder, 14 years imprisonment for conspiracy to kidnap, 14 years imprisonment for kidnapping and 14 years imprisonment for conspiracy to murder.