Bayelsa Court Hands Death Sentence To Two Kidnappers In Landmark Judgment

The convicts, Felix Oburu and Anthony Kio Eligwe, were found guilty of abducting the victim and keeping her in captivity for several weeks before she was eventually released.

The court heard that the duo carried out the operation alongside other accomplices who are still on the run.

Oburu is from Omoku in Ogba/Egbema Local Government Area, while Eligwe hails from Oyigba in Ahoada West Local Government Area, both in Rivers State.

According to evidence presented in court, Mrs. Omietimi was kidnapped on September 17, 2017, and taken to Oyigba Community, where she was held for weeks until her family secured her release after paying a ransom.

The suspects were later arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services following intelligence that led to their capture.

In her judgment delivered on Thursday, the Chief Judge of Bayelsa State, Justice Matilda A. Ayemieye, upheld the prosecution’s case and convicted the two men.

She subsequently sentenced both defendants to death by hanging.

During the trial, the victim testified and gave a detailed account of her ordeal, identifying Eligwe as the person who kept her in his residence throughout her captivity.

Her testimony was backed by the investigating officer from the DSS Bayelsa Command, who explained how the suspects were tracked and apprehended.

The ruling brings an end to a long-standing case and underscores the judiciary’s firm stance against kidnapping and related offences.