Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has sentenced three men to a combined 97 years in prison for the abduction of a retired Naval officer, armed robbery, and unlawful possession of firearms. Justice Adeniyi Familoni delivered the judgment on Monday, April 27, 2026, more than three years after the crimes were committed. The court convicted Augustine Agbogbo (sentenced to 40 years), Adeniyi Olamilekan (25 years), and Ademoh Gabriel (32 years), while discharging three other defendants for lack of evidence.
The six defendants were arraigned on August 11, 2023, on a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping, armed robbery, and unlawful possession of offensive weapons. The prosecution, led by Albert Adeyemi, told the court that the crimes occurred at different locations in Ekiti State in 2022. According to the charge sheet, on June 6, 2022, at Ayede Ekiti, the defendants conspired to rob one Ajibade Adeleke of N15,000. The most serious allegations involved the kidnapping of a retired Naval officer. On December 20, 2022, at Itapaji Ekiti, the defendants robbed Lieutenant Commander Victoria Eisape (retired) of N40,000 and subsequently abducted her alongside Ajibade Adeleke. The victims were taken at gunpoint near Ale Dam Bridge and held captive in a bush for days while their captors demanded a ransom of N70 million. They were eventually released after a ransom of N8 million was paid by relatives.
During her testimony, the retired Naval officer, Lt Cdr Victoria Eisape, narrated the harrowing ordeal. She stated that she and her fellow farmer were returning from the farm when they were attacked by armed men. Despite being blindfolded, she testified that she was able to identify the voices of her abductors, a crucial piece of evidence that weighed heavily in the trial.
The prosecution called seven witnesses and presented several exhibits, including three long-barrel guns, 33 live cartridges, 56 expended cartridges, a military head warmer, and the confessional statements of the defendants. The defendants, who spoke in their defence through counsels Chris Omokhafe and Olakanmi Falade, called no witnesses. Justice Familoni dismissed their retraction of confessional statements as an "afterthought", stating, "I find Augustine Agbogbo, Adeniyi Olamilekan and Ademoh Gabriel's retraction of their confessions to conspiracy and kidnapping of retd Lt Cdr Victoria Eisape and Ajibade Adeleke an afterthought."
The judge convicted Agbogbo, Olamilekan, and Gabriel on the counts of conspiracy and kidnapping. He also found the third defendant, Ademoh Gabriel, guilty of unlawful possession of firearms. However, the court discharged and acquitted the three other defendants – Ogungbemi Gbenga, Monday Rakiya, and Oseni Mutairu – ruling that the prosecution failed to prove the allegations against them for the offences of conspiracy, kidnapping, armed robbery, and unlawful possession of dangerous weapons beyond a reasonable doubt. Justice Familoni delivered the sentences as follows: on count one (conspiracy), all three convicts were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment each; on count two, the first and second defendants were sentenced to 15 years each; on count four, the first and third defendants were sentenced to 15 years each; and on count six, the third defendant received an additional seven years for unlawful possession of firearms.
Justice Familoni noted that the sentences would run concurrently, meaning Agbogbo will serve 40 years, Olamilekan 25 years, and Gabriel 32 years. The terms are to take effect from the date of their arrest and remand. The judge condemned the rising spate of kidnapping across Nigeria, stating that the incident "appeared unabated despite genuine and concerted efforts being made to curb the vice." He said the three convicted persons deserved stiff punishment to serve as a deterrent to others with such inclinations and tendencies.
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