Tony John, Port Harcourt
A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has sentenced three persons, Kingsley Worlu Chuku, Uchendu Macpherson Elindam and Obinna Chuku, to death over the kidnap and death of one Despring Braide and subsequent kidnap of Alexander Akani, a consultant with the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital.
Also, the court sentenced to life imprisonment the three convicts (Kingsley, Uchendu and Obinna) and two others, Godknows Wokem and Promise Jim, who were accused of conspiracy in the kidnap of Akani.
Following a thorough investigation on the kidnap of Akani after he regained freedom from his abductors in June 2017, the Department of Security Service, Rivers State, arrested nine suspects in connection to the crime and charged them to court on September 20, 2017.
Daily Sun gathered that Akani was kidnapped at his residence in Aluu, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area and taken to a remote community in Emohua, where he was detained by the convicts until a ransom of N1.6 million was paid by his family for his partial freedom.
Confessional statement of the convicts revealed that the first defendant (Godknows Wokem), nephew to Akani, gave the other convicts link to abduct the victim.
On arraignment in court, the matter was registered in FHC/PH/148c/17 before Justice James Kolawole Omtosho.
Delivering judgment on the matter yesterday, which lasted for more than three years, Omtosho discharged four of the accused persons including the only female among them.