A Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja has sentenced two of the four defendants accused of kidnapping Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, to 20 years in prison each.
Justice Binta Nyako ruled on Friday that the prosecution had established beyond reasonable doubt the counts sought against Kelvin Ezeigbe and Frank Azuekor, the first and second defendants.
Justice Nyako ruled that the punishment will begin on the day they were arrested.
The judge, on the other hand, released and acquitted Michael Omonigho and Momoh Haruna, the third and fourth defendants in the terrorist accusation.
She found that, despite the fact that some of the offenses against Ezeigbe and Azuekor were punishable by death, life imprisonment, or at least ten years in prison, the accused were contrite for their unlawful behavior.
She also discovered that they had been detained for almost ten years since their arrest.
Remember that while Omonigho, the alleged chief priest, was in court, Haruna was not.
The judge, however, ordered that Haruna, who was at large, be brought to court to face the sin of his escape from lawful custody, notwithstanding the fact that the counts against him had been dropped.
The judge praised both the defense lawyer, Bala Dakum, and the prosecution counsel, Chioma Onuegbu, for their hard work during the trial.
On June 9, 2014, the defendants, Kelvin Ezeigbe, Frank Azuekor, Michael Omonigho, and Momoh Haruna, were arraigned before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of an FHC on a 13-count charge of conspiracy, armed robbery, kidnapping, and acts of terrorism.
While the three defendants were in court, Haruna was reported missing during the terrorist attack on Kuje Correctional Centre on July 5, 2022.