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BENUE: Two sentenced to death for killing of Catholic priest

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BENUE: Two sentenced to death for killing of Catholic priest

Two men, Suleiman Goma and Haruna Idi, were Wednesday convicted and sentenced to death by hanging by Judge Aondover Kakaan of a Makurdi High Court for the murder of Reverend Alexandra Adeyi.

Adeyi was the former Vical-General of Otukpo Catholic Diocese.

Both convicts of Orokam in Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State were said to have conspired with one Saidu Abdullahi and Aliyu Garba, now at large, to kidnap the late reverend father at Otukpo on April 26, 2016.

Delivering judgment, Kakaan said the prosecution, which called eight witnesses, proved its case beyond all reasonable doubts.

The judge held that evidence before him showed that the convicts committed the crimes.

Kakaan held that three guns and charms were recovered from the convicts at the time and place of arrest in the forest.

Read also: Mother of 3 stabbed to death by lover over condom

The judge also held that the first convict, Goma, in his statement tendered in court, admitted that he bought the guns for the purpose of armed robbery and kidnapping.

In the suit filed by the Inspector-General of Police, the prosecutor, Simon Iough, told the court that the convicts took the former Vical-General of Otukpo Catholic Diocese to Okumgaga forest in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue where they demanded for a ransom of N2 million.

He said though the sum of N1.5 million was paid as a ransom, the convicts, as well as Abdullahi and Garba(now at large), still killed the clergyman and dumped his corpse in the forest.

However, the convicts who testified and called no witness, denied the allegation.

 

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