Olu Falae’s Kidnappers Bag Life Imprisonment

SAN FRANCISCO, April 10, (THEWILL) – Seven Fulani herdsmen, who were involved in the abduction of a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, were on Monday sentenced to life imprisonment.

Justice Williams Olamide of Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure found the seven men guilty of kidnapping the elder statesman in his farm in Ilado Village, Akure North Local Government Area of the state.

Falae was taken captive by the herdsmen on September 21, 2015 during his 77th birthday. He was released four days later after the payment of about N5 million as ransom.

It took the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari who ordered the former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase to rescue the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party.

The name of the convicts are as follows: Abubakar Auta, Bello Jannu, Umaru Ibarahim, Masahudu Muhammed, Idris Lawal, Abdulkadir Umar and Babawo Kato.

Justice Olamide held that the seven accused persons were guilty of the kidnapping charge brought against them by the Ondo State Government.

They were initially arraigned on five counts of kidnapping, abduction, aiding and abetting, kidnapping, conspiracy and armed robbery.

The offences were said to be contrary to Section 2 of the Anti-Kidnapping and Anti-Abduction Law, 5(1) (a) of the Anti-Kidnapping and Anti-Abduction Laws, Section 3(11)(b) of the Anti-Kidnapping and Abduction Law, Section 6(b) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision) Act, Cap R11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and Section 1(2)(a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Cap R11, Vol. 14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The trial judge said the recovered ransom,  call logs, and identification of the suspects by Chief Falae himself, indicted the convicts of complicity in the crime and subsequently sentenced them to Olokuta prison.