murder: The Ondo State High Court in Akure on Tuesday sentenced Ayuba Idris and Tasur Abubakar to death by hanging for killing a couple
Delivering judgment, Justice Williams Olajide, held that the prosecution has successfully proven its case beyond the reasonable doubt.
“Therefore, Idris, the sentence of the court upon you is that you be hanged by the neck until you be dead and may the Lord have mercy on your soul.
“Abubakar, the sentence of the court upon you is that you be hanged by the neck until you be dead and may the Lord have mercy on your soul,” he ruled.
Earlier, Mr John Dada, the counsel for the Ondo State Government said that the convicts killed Mr Kwaku and Mrs Tope Kwakye on May 1,2019 by 8:30pm at Ojomo Akintan Estate, Olufoam in Akure.
Dada told the court that the convicted who were armed with dangerous weapons killed their victims with a motorcycle cable.
Meanwhile, a Kano High Court on Tuesday sentenced two men, Usman Labaran and Ibrahim Khalil, to 15 years each in a Correctional Center for kidnapping a four-year-old boy, Faruk Aminu.
The defendants whose age and addresses were not provided by the court, were convicted on two-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy and kidnapping.
The Judge, Justice Nura Sagir-Umar, held that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced the defendants to five years imprisonment each for conspiracy.
Sagir-Umar also sentenced the defendants to 10 years imprisonment each for kidnapping.
Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Mr Wada Wada, told the court that the defendants committed the offences on April 21, 2018 at Gandun Sheka Quarters, Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano state.
He said that on the same date at about 1:00 p.m the defendants criminally conspired and kidnapped four-year-old Faruk.
“The defendants kept the victim in their custody for more than a week and demanded the sum of N1 million as ransom from his parents.
“Because the ransom was not paid to the defendants, they took their victim to Hugulawa village in Bichi Local Government area and threw him inside an old, deep well.
“The victim was later rescued by a good samaritan after spending a night inside the dry old well,” Wada told the court.
The prosecution presented six witnesses to the court to prove its case against the defendants.
According to the prosecutor, the offences contravened section 97 and 273 of the Penal Code CAP 105 Laws of Kano State 1991.
The convicts, who denied committing the offence, testified in their defence and called two other witnesses.
The defence counsel Mr A B Kura, pleaded for leniency for his client.
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