Kogi court sentences man to death for kidnapping, murder of Neighbour

A High Court in Kogi State has sentenced a man, Jibrin Halilu, to death for the kidnapping and murder of his neighbour, a hotel operator in Obajana, bringing an end to a high-profile criminal case that has drawn attention across the state.

The judgment comes barely 24 hours after a Katsina State High Court handed a death sentence to a female arms courier arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), highlighting the judiciary’s continued crackdown on serious criminal offences.

Delivering the verdict on Tuesday, Justice Abdul Nicodemus Awulu of the Kogi State High Court found Halilu guilty of conspiracy and kidnapping under the provisions of the Kogi State Kidnapping and Other Related Offences Prohibition Law, 2023.

The court subsequently sentenced Halilu to death.

According to the prosecution, on March 23, 2023, Halilu and other members of his armed gang stormed Everready hotel, Angwa-Tiv, in Obajana town,
abducting the proprietor, Uche Andrew Offo.

Even though Offo’s family handed his abductors the N2.5 million ransom they demanded, they, nonetheless, killed him.

The prosecutor told the court that operatives of the DSS arrested Halilu on December 4, 2025.

The Kogi and Katsina convictions and sentencings come on the heels of a June 3, 2026, verdict by a Federal High Court in Abuja sentencing four men to death for their roles in the June 5, 2022 terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.

The court sentenced the quartet of Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, and Abdulhaleem Idris to death by hanging for the attack which resulted in the death of over 40 worshippers and left over 100 persons injured.