An Osun State High Court sitting in Ede has sentenced five men to death by hanging for kidnapping and killing of an herder.

The court said deceased, identified as Ibrahim Adamu, was killed by the defendants despite the payment of N3 million demanded from him as ransom.

The defendants, Ibrahim Issa, Lateef Bello, Abdul Ramon Soliu, Bello Ibrahim, and Abudu Mumini Jolaanobi Saheed, were said to have adducted the Adamu in his residence at Owode- Ede of the state on April 17, 2018, before whisking him away to an isolated place where they perpetrated the inhuman act.

The killers, who were first arraigned before the court on October 28, 2021, for offenses bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them.

During the trial, the lead prosecuting counsel from the Ministry of Justice, Moses Faremi, confirmed to the court the day of the victim’s abduction.

However, one of the prosecution witnesses, the Investigating Police Officer in charge of the case, Ganiyu Taofeek, told the court that, while Adamu was in the custody of the abductors, he identified one of the perpetrators, which made those involved in the crime kill him.

“A member of the gang, Abdu Mumini, having realised that Adamu had identified one of them, directed other members of the gang including three Togolese, who are yet to be arrested, to slaughter the victim,” Taofeek said.

Taofeek later tendered exhibits including extrajudicial statements and a mask allegedly used by the defendants, which was dropped at the scene of the crime during the struggle between the perpetrators and the victim before the court.

“After Adamu had been killed, Abdul Mumini went away with the head and heart, while Soliu, another member of the gang, took the deceased’s arms before later dumped the remains at the Osun river,” Taofeek said.

“Abdu Mumini in his confessional statement told the court, why the gang killed Adamu and how they shared the ransom they collected from the victim’s family”.

The defence counsel, Bola Ige, charged the court to temper justice with mercy insisting that, the charges pressed against his clients had not been proved beyond reasonable doubt by the prosecuting counsel.

While delivering her judgment, the presiding judge, Justice Kudirat Akano sentenced the killers to death by hanging after finding them guilty of the offences.