A herdsman, Issa Ibrahim, along with four others, was sentenced to death on Tuesday for the kidnapping and murder of his father, Adamu Ibrahim, after collecting a ransom of three million naira.

The Osun State High Court in Ede convicted Issa Ibrahim, Lateef Bello, Abdulrahmon Soliu, Bello Ibrahim, and Jolaanabi Saheed. The mother of Jolaanabi, Ajibola Saheed, was initially arraigned with them but later discharged of the offences.

The accused were charged with conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder. Despite pleading not guilty, the prosecuting counsel from the Osun State Ministry of Justice, Moses Faremi, presented three witnesses, including two sons of the deceased and a police officer. Key evidence included a stool and a club recovered from Jolaanabi’s house, where Adamu Ibrahim was held after his abduction on April 17, 2017.

According to Faremi, the kidnappers demanded a ransom of 10 million naira, later reduced to 3 million naira, which was paid in Sagamu, Ogun State. During his captivity, Adamu Ibrahim recognized his abductors when the veil covering his face fell, prompting the kidnappers to kill and dismember him, disposing of his body parts in the Osun River.

Issa Ibrahim, the deceased’s son, reportedly orchestrated the kidnapping, claiming his father had denied him his birthright, and urged the gang to kidnap him for ransom.

Despite the defence’s denial of involvement and submission of a no-case argument, Justice Kudirat Akano found the prosecution had sufficiently proven the charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder through confessional statements and eyewitness testimony.

Justice Akano sentenced the convicts to 14 years imprisonment for conspiracy, 14 years for kidnapping, and death for murder, with the terms to run concurrently.