Delta court jails kidnappers 113 years, another to die for killing undergraduate

An Asaba High Court has delivered a landmark judgement as it sentenced two kidnappers, David Erutere and Sunday Omamuzo Ukailkwo, to a total of 113 years imprisonment with hard labour for the offences of kidnapping and armed robbery.
The court sentenced Eruter and Ukailkwo to prison with hard labour having found them guilty of the five count charge of conspiracy to commit a felony to wit, kidnap, kidnapping and conspiracy to commit a felony to wit, armed robbery contrary to Section 6 (b) and punishable under Section 1 (2) a of the robbery and fire arms (Special Provisions) Act Cap R II Volume 14 Laws of the Federation, 2004.
Other offences included armed robbery and demanding property with menace.
The prosecution had told the court that David Erutere and Sunday Omamuzo had conspired, kidnapped and robbed Irikefe Edafe and Egwu Johnbull.
Valuables including a Pathfinder Jeep, GSM phones, laptop, wedding rings and cash were stolen from the victims on two different dates in June 2011 at Delta Palace Road, Warri and Ubiaruku respectively and demanded for a ransom of N50 million from their families before they could be released.
The court, in its judgement, sentenced the first accused person, David Erutere, 31, and a native of Ekrakra village of Ethiope East Local Government of Delta State, to 45 years in jail for conspiracy to commit armed robbery and armed robbery while they both got seven years imprisonment each for conspiracy to commit kidnapping, three years imprisonment each for demanding property with menace and another 10 years each for the offence of kidnapping.
The second accused person, Sunday Omamuzo Ukwaikwo, who claimed to be a farmer and a native of Olomoro in Isoko South Local Government Area was slammed with 25 years imprisonment for the same offence of armed robbery.
Sunday Omamuzo was arrested by men of the state command of the State Security Service when he fell into the trap set for him at the point of picking up the agreed ransom and he later took the security agents to the house of the second accused person where he too was arrested.
Meanwhile another Delta State High Court sitting at Orerokpe, headquarters of Okpe Local Government Area, has sentenced a 27-year-old university worker, David Wonder Erhirhie, to death for committing murder.
The court sentenced David Wonder to death having found him guilty of the murder of Princess Chinoso Ijezie, an admission seeker, in 2009 at Abraka, an offence punishable under Section 319 of the Criminal Code Law Cap C. 21 Laws of Delta State 2006.
While delivering the judgement, the court said prosecution was able to prove beyond all reasonable doubts its case.
The court said: “The punishment for a crime of this magnitude is death penalty. This accused person does not deserve less. I hereby sentence you to death by hanging at the neck until you be dead. May God have mercy upon your soul.”
Prosecution called six witnesses during trial, which lasted for over two years, while the accused testified for himself.
It would be recalled that David Wonder, who until the ugly incidence was a clerical staff of the Provost Office, Delta State University, Abraka, was involved in a failed admission racketeering for which he collected N155,000 from the deceased to assist her to secure admission into the University from a private university somewhere in Edo State where the deceased was already running a programme.
The convict however could not secure the admission for the deceased but in a bid to cover up the fraud, he lured the late Princess Chinoso Ijezie to his house under the pretence that he wanted to refund her money.