The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the death sentence by hanging imposed on a Delta-based convicted kidnapper, Chelynor Halim, over his involvement in the abduction and robbery of one Joan Osemene in 2014.
In a unanimous judgment, a five-member panel of the apex court dismissed Halim’s appeal for lacking in merit and affirmed the decision of the lower courts.
Halim had been convicted by a Delta State High Court sitting in Asaba in 2017 after the court held that the prosecution proved his involvement in armed robbery and kidnapping.
The trial court heard that Halim and other members of his gang kidnapped Osemene on February 9, 2014, and took her to an unknown location in Ibusa, Delta State.
According to evidence before the court, Halim allegedly slapped the victim, threatened her with a gun and later covered her nose with a cloth containing a substance that made her unconscious.
The gang leader, identified as Edozie Obude, was also said to have grabbed the victim by the throat, struck her neck with a metal object and ordered that she be searched.
Osemene, who testified during the trial, told the court that the gang seized her ATM card and N10,000 cash. They later used the ATM card to withdraw N55,000 from her account.
She said her hands and legs were tied before she was moved to another location and abandoned by the gang.
The victim eventually freed herself and escaped. While running to safety, she reached a major road and flagged down a motorcyclist, who later turned out to be Halim.
Upon recognising him as one of her attackers, she raised the alarm, leading to his arrest by people nearby before he could flee.
Halim was later handed over to the Department of State Services, DSS. He subsequently led operatives to the gang’s hideout, where a shootout reportedly occurred, resulting in the death of the gang leader, Obude.
Delivering the lead judgment on Friday, Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme held that there was no doubt about Halim’s identity as one of the members of the gang.
The apex court also held that the evidence adduced at trial established his presence at the scene of the crime and his participation in the offences.
Consequently, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal marked SC/CR/913/2022 and upheld the sentence of death by hanging.
The judgment comes amid rising concerns over kidnapping across the country, including recent abductions of pupils and teachers in Oyo and Borno states.
In Borno State, armed groups reportedly attacked schools in Askira Uba and Chibok local government areas on May 13 and 14, abducting 42 pupils.
In Oyo State, coordinated attacks on May 15 at Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School; and L.A. Primary School, Esiele, in Oriire Local Government Area, reportedly led to the abduction of 40 pupils.
Efforts are said to be ongoing to secure the release of the abducted pupils and teachers.