Seven Fulani herdsmen who were involved in the kidnap of a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Olu Falae, have been sentenced to life imprisonment by an Ondo State High Court.

Justice Williams Olamide, on Monday found the Fulani herdsmen guilty of kidnapping Falae from his farm in Ilado Village, Akure North Local Government Area of the state in September, 2015.

Those convicted include, Abubakar Auta, Bello Jannu, Umaru Ibarahim, Masahudu Muhammed, Idris Lawal, Abdulkadir Umar and Babawo Kato.

All the convicts were arraigned on five counts  charge of kidnapping, abduction, aiding and abetting, kidnapping, conspiracy and armed robbery.

Their offences, according to the Ondo State Government contravened Section 2 of the Anti-Kidnapping and Anti-Abduction Law, 5(1) (a) of the Anti-Kidnapping and Anti-Abduction Laws, Section 3(11)(b) of the Anti-Kidnapping and Abduction Law, Section 6(b) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision) Act, Cap R11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and Section 1(2)(a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Cap R11, Vol. 14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The judge held that the “recovered ransom, call logs, and identification of the suspects by Falae himself indicted the convicts of complicity” in the crime. Against this backdrop, Justice Olamide subsequently sentenced the convicts to Olokuta prison, Akure for life, without an option of fine.

The judgment sent members of the public outside the courtroom into a frenzy of jubilation with some of them uttering ‘justice served at last’.