A Bayelsa State High Court sitting in Yenagoa has sentenced two men to death by hanging for the abduction of Mrs Grace Omietimi, mother of the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Dr James Omietimi.
The convicts, identified as Felix Oburu and Anthony Kio Eligwe, were found guilty of kidnapping the victim and holding her in captivity for several weeks before her eventual release.
The court heard that the duo carried out the crime in collaboration with other accomplices who remain at large. Oburu is from Omoku Community in Ogba/Egbema Local Government Area, while Eligwe hails from Oyigba Community in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State.
According to court proceedings, the victim was abducted on September 17, 2017, and taken to Oyigba Community, where she was detained for weeks. She regained her freedom after a ransom was reportedly paid by her family.
The suspects were later arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services following intelligence-led operations that tracked their movements.
Delivering judgment, Chief Judge of Bayelsa State, Justice Matilda A. Ayemieye, upheld the prosecution’s case and found the defendants guilty as charged, subsequently sentencing them to death by hanging.
During the trial, the victim testified and provided a detailed account of her ordeal, identifying Eligwe as the individual in whose residence she was held throughout her captivity.
Her testimony was corroborated by the investigating officer from the DSS, who explained how the suspects were apprehended.
The ruling brings closure to a long-standing case and underscores the judiciary’s firm stance against kidnapping and related criminal activities.
