An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti Monday sentenced a 26-year-old man, David Isaiah, to death by hanging after he found guilty of kidnapping and killing a commercial sex worker, Comfort James.
Isaiah and one other deceased accomplice Saviour Daniel allegedly conspired to kidnap Miss James on April 18, 2024, in Ado Ekiti. She was allegedly kidnapped by the two men who then called her fellow sex workers to pay a ransom of N100,000 for to gain her freedom.
But when they could not get the ransom money, they decided to terminate the life of Miss James with an insecticide.
Prosecutor Ibironke Odetola stated that the offenses committed by Isaiah, who was arraigned on 18th April 2024, “are in violation of sections 280, 279 (a), and 234 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.”
The prosecution presented six witnesses and introduced various exhibits, including the defendant’s statements, photographs of the deceased, a warrant for the burial, a pair of slippers, SIM cards, and the insecticide used in the crime.
In his defense, Isaiah claimed, “After having sex with the deceased, we used her phone to call her colleagues, telling them that she had been kidnapped and demanding a ransom of ₦100,000. Her hands and neck were tied the entire time. When the ransom didn’t come, and realizing she had seen our faces clearly, we decided to pour herbicide into her mouth, which caused her death.”
Delivering the verdict, Justice Olalekan Olatawura concluded that the prosecution had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Isaiah conspired with his deceased accomplice to kidnap and murder Comfort James.
The judge stated, “Given the evidence, the defendant is found guilty as charged. Any consideration for leniency cannot be justified. Therefore, the defendant is sentenced to 21 years for conspiracy, life imprisonment for kidnapping, and death by hanging for murder. May God have mercy on your soul.”
