The Bauchi State High Court 1 has on Wednesday sentenced four persons to 45 years imprisonment each after being found guilty of a three-count charge of criminal conspiracy, robbery and kidnapping.
The convicts, identified as Abdullah Abubakar, Ismail Musa, Usman Isah, and Umar Abdullahi were convicted and sentenced by the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Rabi Umar, Daily Post reports.
The prosecution counsel, Barr. A.S Gumba, told the court that the suspects stormed the residences of Alh Bashir Bukar and Alh Sha’aban Mohammed of Rimin Zayam in Toro Local Government Area of the state in 2018 at about 1:30 a.m. and robbed them of cash and other valuables worth the sum of N1 million.
He said the convicts also kidnapped the son of Bukar and the daughter of Mohammed, which they took to an unknown destination.
According to the prosecutor, the suspects later demanded and collected the sum of N1.4 million as ransom from the two victims before releasing the hostages.
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Delivering the judgement on Wednesday, Justice Umar said their actions contravene Section 4(1) of the Kidnapping, Theft of Cattle and Rape (Special Provision) Law, 2017, Section 3 (2), of the (Kidnapping, Theft of Cattle and Rape (Special Provision) Law, 2017 and Section 1(2) of the Robbery and Firearms Special Provisions Act LFN 2004.
Justice Umar said the 45-year prison term started in 2019, “That you, Abdullah Abubakar, were found guilty and hereby sentenced to 45 years imprisonment for the offences of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery and kidnapping with effect from January 1, 2019.
“That Ismail Musa was found guilty and hereby sentenced to 45 years imprisonment for the offences of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping with effect from January 1, 2019.
“You, Usman Isah hereby found guilty and sentenced to 45 years imprisonment for the offences of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping, with effect from January 1, 2019.
“And that you, Umar Abdullahi, were also found and sentenced to 45 years imprisonment for offences of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping, with effect from January 14, 2019,” said the chief judge.
