Notorious kidnappers sentenced to 67 years in Delta

kidnapperFOR having a hand in the kidnap of one Mrs. Ighowoh Yavbiere and four of her children, including her three weeks old baby in Asaba, four persons escaped the hangman’s noose.The offence of kidnapping attracts death penalty in Delta State.

They were, however, sentenced to a total of 67 years imprisonment with hard labour by a Delta State High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State yesterday.

The Chief Judge of the State, Justice Marshal Mukoro sentenced the accused persons to over three decades behind bars for their involvement in the kidnapping of Mrs. Yavbieri, the wife of
Mr. Raymond Yavbieri, a former Clerk of the Delta State House of Assembly.

Three of the accused persons got 20 years each while the fourth was convicted only on count one and was sentenced to seven years with hard labour.

Justice Mukoro slammed the kidnappers with the jail term having pronounced them guilty of count one, two, and three of the information
charge out of the six counts proffered against them by the Department of Public Prosecution of the Delta State Ministry of Justice.

They were convicted on the charge of conspiracy, kidnapping and demanding property with menace as they received the sum of N7million from the former Clerk before releasing the five captives.

They were, however, discharged and acquitted on the charges of armed robbery and being members of unlawful society as prosecution failed to prove ingredients of the offence against them beyond reasonable doubt.

According to the prosecutor, the hoodlums initially requested for a ransom of N50million before it was negotiated to N7million which was
said to been dropped at a location along the Asaba Benin Highway where it was picked and shared among them.

The four kidnappers, who appeared unruffled by the court verdict, include 28-year-old Louis Achollo Etomi, a tiller, Andrew Monye, a taxi driver, Desire Nwaobi, an Okada rider and Emeka Iwowo, a wheel barrow pusher.
Four of them with two others now at large abducted Mrs Yavbieri and four of her kids on November 20, 2011 along Jesus Saves Road, Asaba.