An Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure , the state capital on Tuesday sentenced seven men who were involved in the kidnap of a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation , Chief Olu Falae , to life imprisonment .
The seven men , who were all Fulani herdsmen were found guilty of kidnapping the elder statesman in his farm in Ilado Village , Akure North Local Government Area of the state in September , 2015 .
The convicts are : Abubakar Auta , Bello Jannu , Umaru Ibarahim , Masahudu Muhammed, Idris Lawal , Abdulkadir Umar and Babawo Kato .
They were initially arraigned on five counts of kidnapping , abduction , aiding and abetting , kidnapping , conspiracy and armed robbery .
The offences were said to be contrary to Section 2 of the Anti- Kidnapping and Anti - Abduction Law , 5 ( 1 ) (a ) of the Anti - Kidnapping and Anti -Abduction Laws , Section 3 ( 11 )( b) of the Anti- Kidnapping and Abduction Law , Section 6 ( b) of the Robbery and Firearms ( Special Provision ) Act , Cap R11 , Laws of the Federation of Nigeria , 2004 , and Section 1 ( 2 ) (a ) of the Robbery and Firearms ( Special Provisions) Act , Cap R11 , Vol . 14 , Laws of the Federation of Nigeria , 2004 .
It would be recalled that the former Minister for Finance spent three days in the den of the kidnappers while a sum of N5 milllion was reportedly paid as ransom to the hoodlums .
It took the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari who ordered the former Inspector General of Police , Mr . Solomon Arase to rescue the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party .
In his judgment , the trial judge , Justice Williams Olamide held that the seven accused persons were guilty of the kidnapping charge brought against them by the Ondo State Government.
He said the recovered ransom, call logs , and identification of the suspects by Chief Falae himself , indicted the convicts of complicity in the crime and subsequently sentenced them to Olokuta prison, Akure for life , without an option of a fine .
He however discharged them of two of the counts , conspiracy and armed robbery .
Source: Punch
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