Court Jails Kidnappers Of Popular Delta Hotelier To 33 Years Each

Posted by African Examiner News, News From The State Thursday, February 20th, 2014

IGNATIUS OKPARA, Enugu

A Delta High Court sitting in Effurun Wednesday sentenced two persons including a Civil Servant in the state to 33 years with hard labour for kidnapping a prominent Deltan born Hotelier.

The said kidnappers had demanded N10 million-naira ransom from family of their victim, which was paid to them by the wife, before they were apprehended by security operatives.

The two accused persons are, Wisdom Destiny 35, from Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area of Rivers State and a motor mechanic, Godstime Onovwakpor, who is 39yrs old and hails from Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State.

They were found guilty on the charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and kidnapping.

The Court however, slammed the duo with 10 years imprisonment each for count one. (Conspiracy to commit armed robbery), another 10 years each for armed robbery and yet another 10 years for kidnapping while they got 3years each for demanding a ransom of N10million.

The court further held that the prison terms are to run concurrently.

Prosecutor of the case from the Delta State Ministry of Justice had told the Court that the two accused persons and one other now at large on or about the 27th day of December 2009 at Ovwian within the Otu-Udo JudicialDivision kidnapped a popular Hotel Proprietor, one Francis German of Peabody Hotels from a Church where he had gone to worship at gun point.

The Hotelier who was told to repack his car by an usher in the Church was about doing so when suddenly three men pointed a gun at him and whisked him away to an unknown location in his Mercedes Benz Car.

He was said to have been released after three days in captivity after his wife allegedly parted with the sum of N10million ransom.

The first accused, Wisdom Destiny who was picked up by the Police investigating the matter while attempting to sell the victim’s car at Yenagoa admitted to the crime which led to the arrest of the second accused person.