A 47-year-old man, Job Burutu, alongside two others, Igane Enekorogha, 37 and Godwin Sibede, 36, were on Thursday, sentenced to 30 years imprisonment each for their alleged involvement in the kidnap of one Tobeckwukwu Ochei on March 27, 2012.
The trio: Burutu, a businessman, Enekorogha, a fisherman and Sibede, a driver, reportedly abducted Ochei, the younger brother to former Speaker of the Delta House of Assembly Speaker, 10 days after his wedding.
According to the prosecuting counsel from the Department of Public Prosecutions, DPP, Ministry of Justice, Samuel Nwanne, the convicts with others now at large, in Asaba Judicial Division, kidnapped Ochei.
The victim was in front of his gate around 6:30a.m on the said day, when the armed kidnappers pounced on him and whisked him away in their waiting vehicle.
Ochei was later rescued unhurt by men of the Department of State Services, DSS, after spending four days in their den.
The presiding judge, Hon. Justice Cletus Emifoniye at a High Court in Asaba, Delta State, found the trio guilty on the four-count charge of kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, demanding property with menace and illegal possession of firearms.
While delivering his judgement, Emifoniye sentenced them to 10 years imprisonment each with hard labour for the offense of kidnapping, seven years each for conspiracy, three years each for demanding N300 million ransom and 10 years for doing so at gunpoint.
The court, however, ruled that the sentences are to run concurrently.
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