An Assistant Commissioner of Police in Nigeria’s Ekiti State will spend life in jail for receiving a stolen vehicle from kidnap suspects.
Justice John Adeyeye of the Ekiti High Court jailed the 57-year-old ACP Okubo Aboye on Monday alongside his mechanic, one Niyi Ibrahim Afolabi.
Afolabi, 39, also bagged life imprisonment.
The Justice heard how the car was tracked to the house of ACP Aboye who confessed, during interrogation, that he bought the Hilux van from his mechanic who received it from the kidnappers.
The offence runs contrary to sections 346(2), 1(2)a, and section 5 of the Criminal Code Cap C16 Laws of Ekiti State, 2012 and Robbery and firearms special provisions Act, Cap R11, laws of the federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Justice Adeyeye found the two accused persons guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment accordingly.
The Justice also sentenced seven other persons to five years without an option of fine for kidnapping. They include Solomon Ayodele Obamoyegun, 39; Femi Omiawe, 40; Damilola Obamoyegun, 20; Bose Sade Ajayi, 30; George Lucky, 35; Chukwuma Nnamani, 22; and Sunday Ogunleye, 45.
To prove the kidnapping case, the prosecutor, Felix Awoniyi called 7 witnesses while exhibits tendered include statements of the accused persons and bond to release van to the owner.
According to the charge, the offence was committed on or about 9th -19th day of May 2005 at GRA, Ado Ekiti, when the 1st -7th accused, armed with guns kidnapped one Moses Ajogri 40 and robbed him of his Toyota Hilux van with Reg. No. APP 509 BK.
The nine accused persons spoke in their own defence through their counsels who promised to study the verdict and take necessary steps.
Delivering the judgment, Justice John Adeyeye said, “Kidnapping people for ransom is very rampant in not only the state but in Nigeria as a whole.
“The court will be failing in its duty to protect the members of the society if adequate punishment is not given to the accused persons.”