From Taiye Joseph, Ilorin
The Kwara State High Court, sitting in Ilorin, has sentenced two men, Abubakar Sodiki and Abubakar Mohammed, to death by hanging after finding them guilty of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, kidnapping and illegal possession of firearms.
Delivering judgment recently, Justice Ahmed Gegele, ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt and that the evidence presented clearly linked the defendants to the crimes.
Justice Gegele said the court carefully reviewed all testimonies and exhibits before arriving at the verdict, noting that the involvement of the two men in the offences had been firmly established.
“The evidence before this court clearly established the involvement of the defendants in the offences,” the judge held.
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The convicts were also found guilty under counts three and four relating to illegal possession of firearms.
During the trial, the prosecution counsel, Muslimah Suleiman, maintained that the charges against the defendants were fully supported by the evidence placed before the court.
She urged the court to convict them based on the testimonies of witnesses and other material evidence tendered during the proceedings.
However, counsel to the defendants, Shu’aib Ibrahim, appealed to the court to temper justice with mercy.
While the first defendant pleaded for leniency, the second defendant denied any involvement in the crimes and asked the court to discharge and acquit him.
The prosecution also informed the court that it was not aware of any previous criminal record against the defendants.
In his ruling, Justice Gegele said although he considered the allocutus of the convicts, the court could not exercise discretion where the law clearly prescribed punishment for the offences.
“The court has carefully considered the allocutus of the defendants, but where the law has clearly prescribed punishment, the court has no discretion,” he stated.
Consequently, the court sentenced both men to death by hanging for the offences of armed robbery and conspiracy.
They were also handed a 10-year jail term for illegal possession of firearms and life imprisonment for kidnapping, in line with the provisions of the law.
The case, which began on April 29, 2025, had its final addresses adopted on July 30, 2025, before the court delivered its verdict.
During the trial, the victim, Alhaji Saheed Arowasi of Boriya community in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, recounted his ordeal in the hands of the kidnappers.
He told the court that his abductors initially demanded a ransom of N100 million but later reduced the amount to N10 million after negotiations before he was eventually released.
