A High Court in Kogi State, Nigeria, has sentenced a man to death over the kidnapping and murder of his neighbour, a hotel owner in Obajana. The ruling adds to a string of recent convictions in the country's fight against kidnapping and violent crime.
The Kogi State High Court, presided over by Justice Abdul-Nicodemus Awulu, found Gibran Halilu guilty of conspiracy and kidnapping. He was convicted under the Kogi State Kidnapping and Other Related Offences Prohibition Law 2023.
According to the prosecution, Halilu and members of his gang abducted the proprietor of the Ever Ready Hotel from Obajana in Kogi State in March 2023. The victim's family was said to have paid a ransom of 2.5 million naira, but the hotel owner was killed nonetheless.
The case was among those prosecuted following investigations carried out by the Department of State Services. The court found the evidence sufficient to convict Halilu and hand down the death penalty.
Officials have presented the conviction as part of a series of high-profile cases secured through investigations and prosecutions led by the security service across the country, signalling a tougher stance against kidnapping and related crimes.
The sentence was handed down barely 24 hours after the Katsina State High Court sentenced a female arms courier, who had also been arrested by the Department of State Services, to death in a separate case.