Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of Lagos High Court, Ikeja, yesterday, sentenced three men to death for kidnapping a Lagos monarch, killing his palace guard and a motorcyclist.
The convicts, Duba Fureso, Reuben Anthony and Yerin Fresh, who kidnapped the Oniba of Iba, Oba Oseni Goriola, murdered a motorcyclist, Mr Joseph Okeke, a 72-year-old palace guard, Mr Sunday Okanlawon, and attempted to murder the monarch’s wife, Bosede.
The convicts were sentenced to death for murder, a life sentence for attempted murder, 21 years’ imprisonment for the kidnap and various prison terms for conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and armed robbery.
Justice Taiwo said,
“The prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and established the ingredients of all the offences. I find the defendants guilty as charged. A clear message should be sent to kidnappers and murderers.” The judge noted that their victims and their families were usually traumatised and asked to pay very high ransoms.”
During the trial, the prosecution led by Ms Titilayo Shitta-Bey, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Justice had submitted that the convicts and others still at large, committed the offences on July 16, 2016, at 6.00 p.m. at the palace of the monarch in Lagos. According to her, the convicts stormed the palace armed with guns, shot the queen, who tried to stop them, in the abdomen, fired several shots into the air and killed Okanlawon and Okeke.
“The Oba was taken through a boat to the kidnappers’ camp and demand for N500 million ransom was made to his family. It was negotiated and N15.1million paid. The Oba spent three weeks with his abductors,
” she said.
The kidnappers were, however, apprehended by members of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT). During the trial, seven witnesses testified for the prosecution, including the monarch and his wife, his son, two medical doctors and two police officers. The defendants, Furioso, a timber contractor; Fresh, a fisherman, and Reuben, a timber contractor, testified for defence, denying committing the offences.
During allocates, the defence counsel, Mr G. O. Eguaroje, pleaded for leniency for the convicts. “They are first-time offenders and are all family men,” he said. “We shall plead to your lordship to be lenient with them and not sentence them to death. Finally, we shall try to exercise our right to appeal,” Eguaroje said. However, Shitta-Bey asked the judge to impose the stiffest sentences to serve as a deterrent to such crimes. “I urge the honourable court to impose the maximum sentences prescribed for the offences in law. The heinous crime of kidnapping does not only terrorize the victim, but it also terrorizes society; nobody is safe. A clear statement should be made that Lagos State has zero-tolerance for kidnappers, murderers and robbers,” she said.
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