Five men on trial for the kidnapping and murder of a Fulani herder, Ibrahim Adamu, who was selling cows in Owode-Ede, Osun State, have been sentenced to death by hanging by an Osun State High Court on Tuesday.
Adamu was said to have been taken to a remote location in his Toyota Corolla car after his abduction.
The victim was killed afterward despite paying a N3 million ransom after identifying one of the culprits of the crime.
Ibrahim Issa, Lateef Bello, Abdul Ramon Soliu, Bello Ibrahim, and Abudu Mumini Jolaanobi Saheed were initially arraigned in court on October 28, 2021, for conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder charges.
The charges filed against the defendants before Justice Kudirat Akano of the State High Court in Ede were stated to violate Sections 324, 319, and 364 of Osun State's Criminal Code.
However, they all pleaded not guilty to the four charges brought against them by the state.
Mr. Moses Faremi, the lead prosecuting counsel from the Ministry of Justice, stated during the trial that the defendants abducted Adamu on April 17, 2018, at 7:45 p.m. at his residence in Owode-Ede, Osun State.
When he appeared in court, one of the prosecution witnesses, the Investigating Police Officer in Charge of the Case, Mr. Ganiyu Taofeek, presented exhibits including extrajudicial statements and a mask allegedly used by the defendants, which was dropped at the scene of the crime during the struggle between the perpetrators and victim.
He further said that once Adamu identified one of the gang members, Abdu Mumini ordered other gang members, including three Togolese who have yet to be apprehended, to kill the victim.
According to the police officer, when Adamu was killed, Abdul Mumini went away with the head and heart, while Soliu, another gang member, took the deceased's arms while the remains were dumped in the Osun River.
Delivering her judgment, Justice Akano found the five men guilty of all the counts preferred against them. She accordingly sentenced them to death by hanging.
