Daud Olatunji
An Imo State High Court sitting in Urualla, Orlu Judicial Division, has sentenced a 28-year-old point-of-sale operator, Isaac Okorie, to death by hanging for his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of an 83-year-old man, Chief Alexander Chukwuma Okoli, and his driver, Daniel Sarki.
Okorie was convicted on six counts bordering on armed robbery, hostage-taking and murder over the incident, which occurred on October 14, 2023, in Isiekenesi, Ideato South Local Government Area of Imo State.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Matthew Ijezie held that the prosecution had established the defendant’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt through the evidence of its witnesses.
The judge said the evidence presented before the court sufficiently linked Okorie to all six charges.
According to the court, Okorie conspired with other members of a criminal gang, who were armed with guns, to abduct Okoli and his driver before taking them into a bush.
The gang also stole the elderly man’s gold-coloured Toyota Corolla, with registration number AAH 989 RM.
Justice Ijezie said the kidnappers subsequently demanded a ransom of N100m from the victims’ family, which eventually paid N2.515m.
Despite receiving the payment, the gang allegedly killed both victims and sent photographs of their lifeless bodies to the family.
The remains of Okoli and his driver have yet to be recovered.
The court further heard that police investigations revealed that Okorie’s role in the criminal operation was to receive ransom payments from the families of kidnapping victims.
After finding him guilty on all six counts, the court gave the defendant an opportunity to make a plea for leniency before sentencing.
Okorie pleaded for mercy, but the judge sentenced him to death by hanging.
Speaking after the judgment, a senior state counsel with the Imo State Ministry of Justice, Ikenna Obi, who prosecuted the case, described the ruling as significant.
Obi said the judgment would provide some measure of relief to the victims’ family, despite the continued uncertainty surrounding the whereabouts of their remains.
He expressed hope that the conviction would serve as a deterrent to individuals involved in kidnapping and other violent crimes, as well as those contemplating joining criminal gangs.
The prosecutor commended the judge for delivering what he described as a well-considered judgment in accordance with the law.
Also reacting to the verdict, Amanda, the daughter of one of the victims, expressed relief that the defendant had been brought to justice.
She, however, said the family remained distressed by the failure to recover the bodies of her father and his driver.
Amanda added that the judgment had brought some comfort to the family but expressed hope that other suspects still at large would be arrested and prosecuted.
The case underscores the devastating consequences of kidnapping for ransom, particularly for families who continue to grapple with the loss of loved ones without recovering their remains.
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