Delta Student, Driver, Sentenced To Death For Kidnapping

Court of law

Suspects Were Accused Of Armed Robbery And Kidnapping

The Delta State High Court, sitting in the Warri Judicial Division, has sentenced two kidnappers to death by hanging for their involvement in armed robbery and kidnap activities in Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area of the state.

Justice A.A. Onojovwo, who presided over the case, delivered the judgment on Friday after finding them guilty of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, kidnapping, attempted kidnap and demanding property with menace.

The two convicts are Collins Okoro, a HND student of Banking and Finance at the Delta State Polytechnic, Oghara and a native of Ekiugbo community in Ughelli North; and Ejemuta Ogofure, a driver and native of Canan community in the Isoko South Local Government Area.

They were sentenced for also kidnapping one Mr Ogboghro Vincent, an employee of Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro, who was abducted by the accused persons on May 7, 2012 at Irri, within the Oleh Judicial Division and also robbed of his Honda Accord saloon car with registration number Delta AL 51 LEH.

The convicts had demanded N5m ransom from Vincent before releasing him.

They were equally accused of being members of a notorious gang of armed robbers and kidnappers terrorising Oleh and its neighbouring communities of Isoko South Local Government.

Onojovwo ruled, “The prosecuting counsel from the state Ministry of Justice, Mrs Jereoma Sam-Oligida, has proved beyond reasonable doubt the essential ingredients of the crime of conspiracy to kidnap one Mr Ogboghro Vincent, and the attempted kidnap of one Mrs Precious Ibenegbu.”

The trial judge while delivering the judgment also further slammed the defendants with a five years imprisonment each for conspiracy to commit kidnapping and seven years imprisonment each respectively for kidnapping.

They were charged under the old law that provided for a maximum punishment of 10 years imprisonment for offenders.

The judge also held that the prosecution counsel was able to establish the case of the substantial offence of kidnapping and multiple armed robberies against two out of the three accused persons arraigned before the court on a 10-count charge.