An Asaba High Court on Friday sentenced a taxi driver, a wheelbarrow pusher and two other people to 67 years imprisonment for the kidnap of the wife of a former Clerk of the Delta State House of Assembly, Mrs. Ighowho Yabviere, and three of her children, including a three-week-old baby.
Those convicted were Louis Achollo Etomi (tiller), Andrew Monye (taxi driver), Desire Nwaobi (commercial motorcycle operator), and Emeka Iwowo (wheelbarrow pusher).
They were arraigned on a six-count charge of conspiracy, kidnapping, illegal detention, armed robbery, demanding with menac and belonging to a secret cult.
The trial judge and Chief Judge of Delta State, Justice Marshal Umukoro, held that the first to third accused persons were guilty of kidnapping, conspiracy, unlawful imprisonment and demanding with menace while the fourth accused person, Emeka Nwaobi, was found guilty of conspiracy.
Justice Umukoro said the accused persons, in their statement made before the police and tendered as evidence, pointed to the fact that they were neck deep in the planning and eventual kidnap of the victim and her children.
He said they all narrated how they carried out the crime in their statements, adding that “evidence voluntarily given by accused person is stronger than that of a witness.”
The judge added, “The nexus that tied the accused persons to the crime was their voluntary statements that were tendered in the court by the police and prosecution team, and therefore, I found the first to third accused persons guilty on count one only.
The court, therefore, convicted and sentenced the first to third accused persons to seven years on count two, and three years on count four, making a total of 20 years each that the accused persons will spend in prison, while the fourth accused person will spend seven years. When added up, they will all share 67 years behind bars.