A Kano State High Court presided over by Justice Nura Sagir Umar on Tuesday sentenced one Usman Labaran and his accomplice Ibrahim Khalil to 15 years each, for committing the act of conspiracy and kidnapping of one Faruq Aminu, a four-year-old boy.
The duo kidnapped the victim from lawful custody of his parents at Sheka Quarters, Kumbotso LGA of the State.
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Earlier, the Prosecuting Counsel, Mr. Wada A. Wada, Principal State Counsel had told the court that the duo, after kidnapping the victim, kept him in their hostility for more than a week and demanded a ransom of N1 million from his parents.
He said when the ransom was not paid to them, they took the boy to Huguluwa Village in Bichi LGA, of Kano State and threw him into an old well.
He further told the court that the victim was later rescued by a good samaritan after spending a night inside the dry old well.
Mr Wada told the court that the action of the defendants contravened section 97 and 271 of the Penal Code Law.
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The convicts, however, pleaded not guilty.
During the trial, Wada presented Six (6) witnesses, including the 4-year-old victim, Faruq Aminu, who identified the defendants as the people that kidnapped him from the lawful custody of his parents at Sheka Quarters, Kumbotso LGA, Kano State.
After the Prosecution closed its case, the two defendants testified in their defence, thereafter called two witnesses and closed their case.
In his judgment, the Chief Judge, upheld that the Prosecution has proved its case beyond any reasonable doubt, and said the two defendants were found guilty of criminal conspiracy and kidnapping as charged.
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The court sentenced them to 5 years each for conspiracy and 10 years each for the offense of kidnapping.
After the plea of allocutus by their counsel, Barrister A.B Kura, the court reduced the term of years for kidnapping to 7 and half years instead of 10 years, he affirmed that 5 years term for conspiracy stands.
