Ekiti Court Sentences Two Kidnappers to Death, Commends DSS Investigation

An Ekiti State High Court has handed down death sentences by hanging to two individuals convicted of kidnapping a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) staff member. The ruling underscores the Department of State Services’ (DSS) growing effectiveness in prosecuting violent crimes.

The defendants, Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar, were found guilty by the Ekiti State High Court I, Fajuyi, Ado‑Ekiti, in Suit No. HAD/124C/2022. A third accused, Usman Abubakar, was discharged and acquitted because the court determined that the evidence did not establish his involvement beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case originated from the abduction of Omoboade Adesina, a female NYSC staff member in Ekiti State, on 22 April 2022. After a thorough investigation, the DSS arrested the suspects and brought them before the court.

Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, delivered the judgment, convicting Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar and sentencing them to death by hanging. He also discharged the third defendant, citing the prosecution’s failure to prove his participation beyond reasonable doubt.

Justice Ogunmoye praised the DSS prosecutors for their diligence and professionalism, noting that they proved the case beyond reasonable doubt. He highlighted the identification parade and the analysis of Call Data Records (CDRs) as pivotal evidence that strengthened the prosecution’s case and secured the convictions.

This judgment marks another significant legal victory for the DSS in its ongoing campaign against kidnapping, terrorism, and other violent crimes nationwide.

The conviction follows a recent decision by a Sokoto State High Court, which sentenced three individuals to death for terrorism‑related offences and cross‑border arms proliferation in a separate DSS‑prosecuted case. The Service has also achieved recent successes in securing convictions against kidnappers and other criminal elements in other regions, including Kogi State.