A court has sentenced four individuals to life imprisonment for kidnapping an elderly woman.

Four men have been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Ekiti State High Court, Ado Ekiti Division. They were convicted for kidnapping Madam Florence Popoola, a 75-year-old woman in Ikere Ekiti.

In addition to their conviction for kidnapping, Adeoye Sunday, Adewusi Dare, Bamigboye Damilola and Ogunlayi Seun were given a five-year prison sentence for their involvement in the conspiracy.

On September 14, 2017, Madam Popoola was abducted from her home by the defendants and taken to a forest located between Eyio and Awo-Ekiti.

She remained there for four days until a ransom of ₦1.5 million was paid in exchange for her release.

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All charges against Ojo Tope were dropped by the court, and Julius Ajibare – the Director of Public Prosecutions who was leading proceedings for the prosecution – brought forth four witnesses and eight exhibits to bolster their arguments.

The four convicted men faced charges of conspiracy to kidnap and kidnapping, which Justice Lekan Ogunmoye presided over. The judge ruled that the prosecution had established their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt on these counts. Nevertheless, he found them not guilty of all charges linked to armed robbery.

The ongoing judicial efforts in Ekiti State to combat kidnapping and related crimes are emphasized by the case.