Jessica Tamaraduoye, Asaba
A student of the Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku, Ndudi Ogwu, has been convicted and sentenced to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour by an Asaba High Court, Delta State for kidnapping a nurse.
Sentenced alongside Ogwu was a 22-year old businessman, Chukwudi Ifemeni, on a two-count charge of conspiracy and kidnapping.
The court held that the prosecution from the Department of Public Prosecutions, DPP, had proved its case against the two accused persons beyond reasonable doubt and thus convicted and sentenced the duo accordingly.
Prosecution had told the court that Ndudi Ogwu and Chukwudi Ifemeni with two others now at large, had conspired together on September 13, 2012 and kidnapped one Kate Okogu, by the gate of her house within
the Ughelli Judicial Division, while she was returning from her shop.
He said the kidnappers then took their victim to a forest along Isoko-Patani Road where she was held captive until she was rescued unhurt by a team of soldiers the next day.
The prosecutor told the court that Ndudi Ogwu was arrested by a patrol team of the JTF at the scene where the kidnapped victim was held captive as the one detailed to watch over her while the 2nd accused was arrested through the confessional statement of the 1st accused person.
Both accused persons admitted to the crime in their confessional statements following their arrest but later denied the charges during trial.
The court, however, sentenced them to 10 years imprisonment on count one of kidnapping and 4 years on count two of conspiracy.
Meanwhile, another High Court sitting at Asaba has discharged and acquitted one Aghogho Oghenekoko and David Akwele who were arraigned before the Court on charges of conspiracy and the kidnapping of the 70-year old mother of the member representing Ethiope Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Akpodiegaga Emeyese.
The septuagenarian, Imoniunu Emyese, was kidnapped on the November 14, 2011, at Okerekpo-Eku within the Warri Judicial Division and held for 12 days while her captors were said to have placed a demand of N30 million as a ransom for her release.
While discharging the two accused persons on the ground of insufficient evidence linking the duo to the crime, the court held that it cannot rely on their confessional statements alone without corroborations.
The discharged persons, one of them a vulcanizer, was full of joy at the judgement, saying that he never committed the offence, that it was a set up.
The accused were immediately reunited with their families after spending close to two years awaiting trial.