From Jessica Tamaraduoye, Asaba
An Asaba High Court has sentenced three persons to jail with hard labour for kidnapping one Otio Onoriode Paul, a student, on July 1, 2012 at Ogharaki, in Delta State.
The kidnappers – Innocent Atunye, a politician, Emmanuel Adebayo, a student and one Emmanuel Edokun who claimed to be an electronic technician- each bagged 14 years for the crime.
They were said to have held their hostage for six days before he releasing him after a ransom of N2million was allegedly paid by the family.
The gang however ran out of luck as they were later arrested by men of the Department of State Security Service DSS, through intelligence gathering after which they made voluntary confessional statements admitting to the crime.
However, as the judgement was delivered, mother to one of the convicts burst into tears, rolling on the floor and causing a disruption of court proceedings before she was taken out of the room by police officers stationed within the court premises.
In a related development, , another High Court sitting at Asaba sentenced a 25yr old welder, Ebierim Onianwa, to 11 years in jail with hard labour for committing the same offence of kidnapping.
He was found guilty for kidnapping one Phillip Okotcha on January 31, 2012, at KM 3, Ibusa – Asaba Expressway, within the Asaba Judicial Division and held him hostage for 4 days.
Okotcha only regained his freedom after the sum of N1million was paid as ransom.