A State High Court in Nigeria has sentenced the Head of the Fulani Community in Kwara State, Alhaji Usman Adamu and his brother, Gidado Idris, to life imprisonment for conspiring to kidnap and committing kidnapping.
Investigations were conducted by the Department of State Security and prosecutions were handled by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, in the state Ministry of Justice.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Ayoola Akande, charged the Fulani leader and two others with the offence of kidnapping Abubakar Ahmad. DSS investigation revealed that they collected a ransom of N1m before eventually releasing Ahmad after 20 days in captivity.
According to the prosecution, the kidnapping occurred between May and June 2022.
In her ruling, Justice Akinpelu stated that the three individuals agreed to commit the offence, regardless of whether or not they were physically present at the kidnapping scene.
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The judge said the convicts “supposedly arrested their victim and falsely claimed that he was a kidnapping suspect to extort money.”.
“I am not persuaded by the submissions of counsel for the defendants to dismiss the two-count charge against them based on the fact that they were not at the scene of the incident.”
The judge stated that the three individuals agreed to commit a crime. She added that whether they were physically present during the kidnapping or not was irrelevant.
Justice Akinpelu expressed disappointment and concern that community leaders, who are responsible for the welfare of their constituents, would compromise their security for the sake of money.
The convicts pleaded for leniency, stating that they were breadwinners with over 20 children and eight wives.
However, the judge stated that according to Section 15 of the Kwara State Anti-Kidnapping Law, discretion of leniency cannot be exercised. Therefore, the convicts were sentenced to life imprisonment, which will run concurrently.
The judge also ordered that a sum of N600,000 be paid to Alhaji Ahmad, who was the victim of the abduction.
