A High Court in Kogi State has sentenced a man, Jibrin Halilu, to death for the kidnapping and murder of his neighbour, a hotel owner in Obajana.
The court, presided over by Justice Abdul Nicodemus Awulu, delivered the judgment on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, after finding Halilu guilty of conspiracy and kidnapping under Sections 12, 6(1), and 4(3)(a) of the Kogi State Kidnapping and Other Related Offences Prohibition Law, 2023.
Following his conviction, the court imposed the death sentence on the defendant.
Halilu was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) after investigations linked him to the crime.
According to the prosecution, Halilu and members of his armed gang invaded Ever Ready Hotel in the Angwa-Tiv area of Obajana on March 23, 2023, and abducted the proprietor, Uche Andrew Offo.
Despite receiving the N2.5 million ransom demanded from Offo’s family, the kidnappers later killed him.
The DSS told the court that its operatives arrested Halilu on December 4, 2025, following an extensive investigation.
A security source disclosed that while in captivity, Offo was able to identify Halilu, his neighbour, as one of the members of the gang that abducted him.
“Investigations revealed that Offo recognised Halilu among his captors. Despite collecting the N2.5 million ransom paid by the family, Halilu still went ahead and killed him,” the source said.
Further investigations also connected Halilu and his gang to the kidnapping of Ibrahim Abdullahi, a resident of Oshokoshoko Community in Lokoja, on April 2, 2023. The gang reportedly collected a N5 million ransom before releasing the victim.
