By Samuel Akpan
Three people convicted in the kidnapping of Oyo State school pupils and teachers have been handed life sentences by a Federal High Court in Abuja few weeks after their arrest.
Justice Salim Ibrahim delivered the ruling on Thursday, ordering that the terms be backdated to the time of their initial arrest.
Although defence lawyers appealed for a lighter sentence on the grounds that the accused were first-time offenders who pleaded guilty, the court stood firm on the maximum penalty.
The guilty pleas, counsel argued, demonstrated genuine remorse on the part of the defendants.
They further pointed out that the offences for which the trio were convicted were not directly connected to the actual carrying out of the kidnapping operation.
The convicts are married with children and have elderly parents who depend on them for support and care, the defence added in mitigation.
In a final appeal, the lawyers begged the judge to grant their clients a second chance at life by imposing lighter sentences instead of the maximum punishment.
The prosecution opposed any form of leniency, stressing that the three possessed knowledge of the individuals behind the criminal operation.
Rather than reporting what they knew to the relevant security agencies as law-abiding citizens ought to, the convicts chose to conceal the information, prosecutors submitted.
After due consideration of all arguments, Justice Ibrahim proceeded to sentence the three defendants to life imprisonment.
Details shortly…