Court Sentences Four Kidnappers to Death by Hanging

A court has sentenced four individuals convicted of kidnapping to death by hanging, marking a significant legal action against crime in the region.

The High Court in Bayelsa State, located in Yenagoa, has sentenced four people to death by hanging for their involvement in conspiracy and kidnapping.

The individuals, identified as Manager Etonzor, Daniel Derietiedei, Inimotimi Rufus, and Tari Firstman, were convicted on Wednesday by Justice Patience Diri.

The case, identified by suit number YHC/43c/2021, was prosecuted in accordance with Section 2 (1) of the Bayelsa State Kidnapping and Related Offences Law of 2013.

The police prosecution stated that Etonzor and his group forcibly entered a dredging company site in Ayama Ijaw, located within the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, where they kidnapped the owner of the company.

The judgment stated, “Although their attempt to abduct the owner of the dredging company was unsuccessful, they began shooting indiscriminately and scared away most of the workers. However, a 28-year-old secretary from the company who was hiding in her office was forcibly taken at gunpoint.”

She was compelled to hand over the N400,000 from the company’s safe and then taken by boat with her captor to a waterside location. She was brought to the kidnappers’ hideout, where a ransom of N6.5 million was paid for her release.

After being released one month and three days later, the Bayelsa State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping squad launched a thorough investigation. Their efforts led to the arrest of Etonza Manager, the leader of the kidnapping gang, which subsequently resulted in capturing other members involved in the group.

During their court arraignment, the convicted kidnappers accused the investigation officers of coercing confessions and claimed they were intimidated.

After hearing arguments from both legal sides, the court accepted their various statements, along with witnesses’ declarations and confessions, as evidence.

In her ruling, Justice Diri determined that the four defendants were guilty of conspiracy and kidnapping charges on two counts, sentencing them to death by hanging.