Two men sentenced to death by hanging, woman to 21 years in prison

Two men, Etenbom Udoh and David Udoh, both 32, were on Wednesday sentenced to death by Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of an Ikeja High Court while Eno Victor, a 30-year-old woman will spend 21 years in prison.

Ipaye handed down the 21-years sentence to Eno for kidnapping and Etenbom and David who, though unrelated but share the same surname, to death sentences for armed robbery and 21 – years in prison each for kidnapping.

Eno was acquitted of the charge of armed robbery after Justice Ipaye found no evidence linking her to the crime.

The convicts were charged on July 31, 2013 on a three-count charge of conspiracy, kidnapping and armed robbery, for which they pleaded not guilty to.

Delivering the judgement, Justice Ipaye noted that the stiff punishments should send a signal to the streets of Lagos that there will be zero tolerance for such heinous crimes.

“The first, second and third defendant were all part of a criminal enterprise, instead of choosing a honest living, they chose a path of extreme violence leaving a trail of grief and pain in their wake.

“It also came to the notice of this court during the trial that the defendants were serial offenders specialising in kidnapping.

“Eno Victor, Etenbom Udoh and David Udoh are hereby found guilty of kidnapping.

“They are sentenced to 21-years in prison for the charge which is contrary to Section 269 (3) of the Criminal Law of Lagos 2011.

“Etenbom Udoh and David Udoh are found guilty of armed robbery contrary to Section 295 (2)(a) of the Criminal Law of Lagos 2011.

“You are both to be hung by the neck till you are dead, may the Lord have mercy on your souls,” Ipaye said.

According to the state prosecution team led by Mr Akin George, the convicts kidnapped Mr Olurinde Ojerinde, a 45-year old financial adviser from his home in Okota, Lagos.

“Eno’s husband, Sunday Victor was the ringleader of the syndicate which specialised in kidnapping individuals within the Lagos metropolis and demanding huge ransoms from their loved ones.

“Sunday Victor was killed by policemen during a shoot-out while they were being apprehended,” he said.

Explaining Ojerinde’s kidnap, George said “In the evening of Oct. 22, 2012, Ojerinde was driving to his home located at Okota Lagos.

“Unknown to him, he was being trailed by some men in a car consisting of the second and third defendants as well as the late Sunday Victor.

“As Ojerinde drove into his premises, the men who were tailing him drove in with him and while armed with guns forced him into the back seat of his car and drove off with the car.

“The car was stolen, it was an Acura TL Saloon car with registration no. APP504AH, he was blindfolded and taken to the home of their ringleader.

“Ojerinde, was shackled with chains, beaten, and threatened with death during the ordeal which lasted a few days.

“His phone was stolen and he was forced to give his abductors personal information as well as the numbers of his loved ones including his wife.

“The abductors demanded the sum of N50million as ransom,” George said.

The prosecutor said Ojerinde escaped when Eno, who was assigned to oversee Ojerinde’s welfare, unwittingly left the doors to their apartment open when she went to buy some food.

“Ojerinde noticed that the doors to the apartment were open and that there was unusual silence in the house.

“Taking a big risk to his life, he crept out of the room and past some of the kidnappers who were all fast asleep in the living room.

“As soon as he was out of the house he ran as fast as he could and was assisted by sympathetic members of the public to the nearest police station.

“While he had escaped, the kidnappers were still calling Ojerinde’s loved ones, demanding the ransom and threatening to kidnap him again,” he said.

George said that Ojerinde was able to lead a team of policemen to the house where he was held which was in Akute area of Lagos, leading to the convicts being apprehended.

Earlier during the trial, before the sentence was passed Eno’s defence counsel Mr Joseph Olumudi in his plea for mercy told the judge to temper justice with mercy.

“It is my humble plea that the court should temper justice with mercy on the first defendant.

“During the course of investigation, two souls were lost, her husband and her only son.

“She has been in custody for four years and in that time, she had learnt a bitter lesson,” Olumudi said.

Mr. Simon Okeke, the defence counsel to Etenbom and David in his plea for mercy told the court that the convicts were young men with many fruitful years ahead of them.

“They are young men in their prime, circumstances may have led them to do what they did.

“They should be given another opportunity, they have been in custody for a long time,” Okeke said.