An Anambra State High Court sitting in Onitsha has convicted and sentenced a man, Kosisochukwu Celestine, to death by hanging for kidnapping and armed robbery.
The judgment was delivered by Justice Sylvester Odili of High Court No. 4, Onitsha Judicial Division.
The prosecution proved that Celestine and members of his gang attacked Mr Chukwudi Collins at gunpoint in Fegge, Onitsha, on Aug. 6, 2022.
It said that the gang abducted the victim, threatened his life, inflicted injuries on him and compelled him to transfer about N6.7 million from his bank account while in captivity.
It added that the criminals also dispossessed the victim of his vehicle and other valuables before holding him hostage for about a day and later abandoning him.
The Prosecution said that intensive investigations led to the tracking of the convict to Enugu State, while he was eventually arrested in Onitsha after evading arrest for about six months.
During the trial, the prosecution, led by Chief State Counsel, Mr Ekwerekwu Uchenna, alongside Principal State Counsels, Mrs Rosemary Uwaeze and Mr S.I. Mmaduelosi, called three witnesses and tendered several exhibits, including bank records showing payments made before the victim’s release.
Two Witnesses Testified
The defence, which called two witnesses, challenged the admissibility of the defendant’s confessional statement, arguing that it did not comply with Section 14 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) of Anambra State, 2022, which mandates video recording of confessional statements.
Although the defendant initially made a detailed confession admitting his involvement in the crimes, he later retracted the statement during trial.
The court subsequently expunged the confessional statement after finding that it was not video-recorded as required by law and declined to rely on it.
However, Justice Odili held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt through eyewitness testimony, bank records, documentary exhibits and other independent evidence.
Consequently, the court convicted Celestine and sentenced him to death by hanging.
