An Ondo State High Court, sitting in Akure, on Tuesday, sentenced to life imprisonment 7 men, who kidnapped a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae.
The seven men, who were Fulani herdsmen, were found guilty of kidnapping the elder statesman on his farm in Ilado Village, Akure North area of the state in September, 2015.
The names of the convicts are;
Abubakar Auta, Bello Jannu, Umaru Ibrahim, Masahudu Muhammed, Idris Lawal, Abdulkadir Umar and Babawo Kato.
They were initially arraigned on five counts of kidnapping, abducting, aiding, abetting, kidnapping, conspiracy and armed robbery.
Falae, a former Minister for Finance, spent three days in the den of the kidnappers while a sum of N5m was reportedly paid as ransom to the hoodlums to secure his release.
In his judgment, the trial judge, Justice Williams Olamide held that the seven accused persons were guilty of the kidnapping charges brought against them by the Ondo State Government.
He said the recovered ransom, call logs, identification of the suspects by Falae himself indicted the accused persons for complicity in the crime.
The judge said, “Having listened to both counsel, it has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that they (accused persons) committed the offence with the evidence tendered before me.
“Besides, during the hearing, the victim was able to identify three of them and that the ransom was paid to them. I hereby sentence all of them to life imprisonment.”
He, however, discharged them of two of the charges of conspiracy and armed robbery.
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