Delta Court Slams Kidnappers 51-Years Imprisonment

A Delta High Court sitting at Asaba has sentenced the kidnappers of the wife of a former Ughelli South Local Government Council Chairman, Mrs. Elizabeth Otidi, to 51 years imprisonment.

Daily Independent reports that three suspects were arrested and charged to court for kidnapping the woman. The names of the convicts were given as Kelly Ogun, a 33-year-old farmer, 35-year-old Udoji Peter, as well as 26-year-old taxi driver, Iloaria Jonathan.

The convicts are to spend 17 years each behind the bars after been found guilty of the counts of conspiracy and kidnapping.

They were reportedly sentenced seven years each on the count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and 10 years each for the substantive offence of kidnapping. It was gathered that they were discharged on count three as the court ruled that prosecution failed to establish essential ingredients of the offence (demanding with menace) beyond reasonable doubts.

Meanwhile, prosecution from the Delta State Ministry of Justice had earlier told the court that on or about the 28th day of January, 2010, the three accused persons with others now at large conspired and executed their conspiracy by kidnapping one Mrs. Elizabeth Otidi, wife of the council boss at the time the offence was committed at Kiagbodo, within Bomadi Judicial Division while she was returning from market in her car.