Supreme Court Affirms Death By Hanging For Kidnapper

The Supreme Court has affirmed the death sentence imposed on a convicted kidnapper, Chelynor Halim, bringing to a close a prolonged legal battle over his involvement in a 2014 kidnapping and robbery incident in Delta State.

In a unanimous judgment delivered by a five-member panel, the apex court dismissed Halim’s appeal, ruling that it lacked merit and upholding the decisions of the lower courts that found him guilty of kidnapping and armed robbery.

Halim had challenged the verdict of the Delta State High Court sitting in Asaba, which in 2017 convicted him after finding that the prosecution had established his participation in the abduction of one Joan Osemene.

Evidence presented during the trial showed that Osemene was kidnapped on February 9, 2014, by Halim and other members of a criminal gang and taken to an undisclosed location in Ibusa, Delta State.

The court heard that during the ordeal, Halim assaulted the victim and threatened her with a firearm before allegedly placing a cloth laced with a substance over her nose, causing her to lose consciousness.

Testimony before the court further revealed that the gang’s leader, Edozie Obude, physically attacked the victim and ordered that she be searched. Following the search, the gang reportedly dispossessed her of N10,000 in cash and her Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card.

The kidnappers subsequently withdrew N55,000 from her bank account using the stolen ATM card.

Osemene told the court that her captors later bound her hands and legs before abandoning her at another location. She eventually managed to free herself and escaped, running until she reached a major road in search of help.

In a dramatic twist, the victim later encountered Halim while attempting to leave the area on a motorcycle. Recognising him as one of her abductors, she immediately raised an alarm.

Her cries attracted passersby, who apprehended the suspect before he could escape and handed him over to security operatives.

Investigations later led to his transfer to the Department of State Services (DSS). According to evidence presented during the trial, Halim subsequently assisted security operatives in locating the gang’s hideout. A confrontation between operatives and members of the gang reportedly resulted in the death of its leader, Obude.

Delivering the lead judgment on Friday, Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme held that the prosecution had successfully established the appellant’s identity and participation in the crimes beyond reasonable doubt.

The court ruled that the evidence before the trial court clearly placed Halim at the scene and linked him directly to the kidnapping operation.

“There is no doubt as to the identity of the appellant as one of the perpetrators of the crime,” the court held, affirming the findings of the lower courts.

Consequently, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal marked SC/CR/913/2022 and upheld the sentence of death by hanging imposed on the convict.

The judgment represents the final judicial pronouncement in the case and reinforces the conviction secured against Halim for his role in the kidnapping and robbery of the victim.