A Delta High Court sitting at Effurun Tuesday sentenced two persons including a Civil Servant to a total of 33 years in jail with hard labour for kidnapping a prominent Deltan Hotelier and demanding for N10 million ransom.
The two accused persons, one Wisdom Destiny, age 35 from Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area of Rivers. State and a motor mechanic, Godstime Onovwakpor who is 39yrs old from Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State were found guilty on the charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, the substatial offence of armed robery, kidnapping and demanding property with menace.
The Court slammed the duo with a sentence of 10 years each imprisonment for count one. (Conspiracy to commit armed robbery), another 10 years each for armed robbery and yet another 10 years for kidnapping while they got 3years each for demanding a ransom of N10million. The court further held that the prison terms are to run concurrently.
Prosecution from the Delta State Ministry of Justice had told the Court that the two accused persons and one other now at large on or about the 27th day of December, 2009 at Ovwian within the Otu-Udo Judicial. Division kidnapped a popular Hotel Propertor, one Francis German of Peabody Hotels from a Church where he had gone to worship while armed with a gun.
The Hotelier who was told to repark his car by an usher in the Church was about doing so when suddenly three men pointed a gun at him and whisked him away to an unknown location in his Mercendis Benz Car. He was said to have been released after three days in captivity after his wife alledgedly parted with the sum of N10million ransome.
The first accused, Wisdom Destiny who was picked up by the Police investigating the matter while attempting to sell th victim’s car at Yenagoa admitted to the crime which led to the arrest of the second accused person
