Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin on Thursday sentenced the Serikin Fulani also known as Ardo (Head of the Fulani) in Kwara State, Usman Adamu, his brother, and one Gidado Idris to life imprisonment for conspiracy to kidnap and kidnapping.

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The case was investigated by the Department of State Services and prosecuted by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution in the state Ministry of Justice.

The DPP, Mr Ayoola Akande charged the Serikin Fulani, and two others with the offense of kidnapping one Abubakar Ahmad and collecting a ransom of N1 million before his release after spending 20 days with them in the bush.

The kidnap, according to the prosecution, took place in 2022 between May and June.

In her judgment, Justice Akinpelu said the three defendants agreed to commit the offense, adding that whether they were physically present at the kidnap scene was immaterial.

She added that the convicts “supposedly arrested their victim claiming that he was a kidnap suspect to extort money from him.

“I am not persuaded by the submissions of counsel for the defendants to dismiss the two-count charge against them based on the fact that they were not at the scene of the incident.”

Justice Akinpelu lamented that “it is saddening and disturbing that community leaders charged with the welfare of their subjects could because of the love of money breach the security of the same subjects.

“They are hereby found guilty as charged and are so convicted”.

After listening to the convict’s allocated plea of having over 20 children, more than eight wives, and being the breadwinner of their family, the judge said that “by Section 15 of the Kwara State Anti-Kidnapping Law, the court cannot exercise any discretion of leniency, so you are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment. The sentence is to run concurrently”.

She ordered that N600,000 be paid to Ahmad who is the victim of the abduction.

The International Day For the Elimination of Violence against Women which ushers in 16 days of activism with the theme, “Unite – Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls”, is another opportunity to amplify voices and raise awareness about issues of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence which continue to remain pervasive in the society.

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According to the Executive Secretary, of Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, Several activities have been curated to heighten awareness about the eradication of violence against women and children.

She said these activities include Intergenerational Conversations and Town Hall meetings at Badagry, Ikeja, Apapa, and Lagos Island Local Government Areas, and the Advocacy Walk tagged: “Women Arise” which will take place in Epe Local Government Area.

These events would feature participants and stakeholders from different strata of society.

The Lagos State Government has refuted allegations made by Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, that the state government funded Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s legal dispute after the Saturday, March 18 election.

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Rhodes-Vivour, in a tweet on X, claimed that the Lagos State Government paid N50,000,000 to four lawyers to defend Governor Sanwo-Olu in the legal dispute.

“Lagos State is not a party to any political case instituted against Mr Sanwolu, APC, and INEC. The state account can not be an extension of Mr Governor’s personal account,” Rhodes-Vivour said

“It is wrong for taxpayers to bear the expenses of legal representation for Mr. Sanwolu as opposed to channeling said funds to areas where it is desperately needed, such as healthcare, education, and social security.”

Meanwhile, in a statement on Tuesday, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said there was a payment request but no such payment was ever made.

Omotoso said Rhodes-Vivour’s allegations were “without any proof whatsoever” and a “ploy to deceive the public.”

He noted that the document presented by Rhodes-Vivour to support his claims “neither carried the logo of the Lagos State Government nor the endorsement of any of its officials.”

“It was simply another ploy to deceive the public about a non-existent payment of N50,000,000 to four lawyers,” Omotoso said.

Omotoso then stated that while it is worthwhile for “patriotic individuals to scrutinize the finances of the Lagos State Government”, the outcome of such an inquiry must “always be based on verified facts and nothing but the truth.”

The commissioner stated that the transaction mentioned by Rhodes-Vivour never occurred, adding that there was a payment request that was not approved by Sanwo-Olu after the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice drew his attention to it due to irregularities.

“There was a payment request, which was not approved by Mr Governor when the Honourable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice drew his attention to it because it is irregular.”

He added that Governor Sanwo-Olu will never misappropriate public funds in defiance of his oath of office.