An Ikeja
High court sitting in Lagos State on Monday, sentenced two former gang members
of billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike, also known as Evans to 41
years in prison.
Justice
Oluwatoyin Taiwo sentenced the convicts, 32-year-old Kelvin Emenike Ukoh and
Emeka Obasi, 33 over the abduction of one Ugoje Jude, a shipping agent, and his
staff, Miss Piriye Gogo on August 3, 2012.
The convicts
were arraigned in 2013 alongside three others: Uche Igbani, 28, Chibuzor
Osuagwu, 33 and a 36-year-old woman, Onowu Ngozi, on a 14 count-charge
bothering on conspiracy, kidnapping, armed robbery and murder.
The gang had
kidnapped Ugoje and another staff, Piriye Gogo who were taken to an unknown
destination by their leader, Evans.
Narrating
her ordeal before the court, Miss Gogo said that the three men accosted them
with rifles on their way home and that she was almost raped inside the car, but
was saved by her monthly menstrual period.
While being
led in evidence before the court, Gogo disclosed that during the abduction, one
of the kidnappers, Obasi, came into the car, after dragging her boss out for
negotiation at an undisclosed location, and started fondling with her breast.
Gogo said,
“He came into the car, tore my clothes, pulled down a side of my bra and began
caressing my breast. He thereafter started dragging down my shirt and I began
begging him. I begged him until I had nothing else I could plead with. I begged
him intensely for mercy and even told him that I was menstruating.
“It was as
though all my pleas fail on deaf ears, I had to insert my hand into my vagina
just to show him. The blood I showed him prevented him from raping me. It was a
terrible experience.
“He,
thereafter, asked whether Mr. Jude was the owner of the company. And I replied
that we were just clearing agents. They also seized our mobile phones,
jewellery and money.
“They
blindfolded Mr. Jude, brought him back into the car, asked me to face down with
my eyes closed, and then drove off to another location. They spoke Igbo almost
all the time so I could barely understand what they were saying or taking us
to.
“While
driving off to the other location, they asked if I could drive, I said no. So
they dropped down from the car and took Mr Jude with them. They ordered me to
face down and not look at their faces or I will be shot dead. They abandoned me
and the Honda pilot car at 2nd bridge alongside expressway, where I waited
until I saw a police patrol and flagged them.
Also
testifying, Jude said his abductors initially ordered him to pay N10m for his
release but after negotiations, they collected N5m.
After listening
to them, the trial judge, Justice Taiwo convicted and sentenced Ukoh and Obasi
to 5, 15 and 21 years for conspiracy, kidnapping and armed robbery
respectively, while the other three were discharged and acquitted by court.
The judge
held that the prosecution could not prove that those acquitted Igbani, Osuagwu
and Ngozi were linked to the alleged charges of murder, conspiracy, kidnapping
and armed robbery.
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