Court sentences two men to death for killing cleric

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

Mr 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, Mr Kakaan said that the prosecution, which called eight witnesses, has proved its case beyond all reasonable doubts.

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

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

The judge also held that the first convict, Mr 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 and Messrs 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.