Court gavel
Taraba State High Court No. 1 in Jalingo has sentenced four individuals to life imprisonment for their involvement in an attempted kidnapping.
The convicted individuals—Prospar Paul, Samuel David, Nosiu Buba, and Samuel Kelvin, listed as the first, second, third, and fourth defendants, respectively—faced charges of criminal conspiracy and attempted kidnapping.
In his ruling, Justice Joel Agya cited Sections 4 and 5 of the Taraba State Kidnapping and Abduction Prohibition Law of 2019, as amended, which clearly outline penalties for such crimes.
Paul, the first defendant, received a 12-month sentence without the option of a fine for criminal conspiracy. Meanwhile, David, Buba, and Kelvin were acquitted of the conspiracy charge but were found guilty of attempted kidnapping and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The judge noted that the state government brought the case to court in November 2021. During the trial, the prosecution presented six witnesses to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, as required by Section 97(1) of the Taraba State Law of 1997 on kidnapping and abduction.
The defense, however, argued for the acquittal of the accused, asserting that the prosecution failed to prove the charges of criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, and abduction beyond a reasonable doubt. Citing Section 136 of the Evidence Act 2022, the defense emphasized the need for direct eyewitness testimony and confessional statements from all witnesses. They also argued that the police investigation was inadequate, particularly for a case involving potential capital punishment.
Justice Agya acknowledged that the defense had demonstrated deficiencies in the police investigation.
Earlier, Mr. Mahanan Luka of the Legal Aid Council, representing the first defendant, pleaded for leniency, noting that his client was a reformed individual leading a chaplaincy group in the correctional facility.
Deputy Director of Citizen’s Rights at the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Mustapha Adam, praised the ruling as a significant milestone in the fight against crime.
