An Imo State High Court sitting in Owerri has sentenced a 34-year-old man, Johnbosco Chidera Ashiegbu, to death by hanging after convicting him on multiple counts bordering on armed robbery and kidnapping.
Ashiegbu, who hails from Amaiyi Akabo in Ikeduru Local Government Area of the state, was arrested in 2024 along Okigwe Road in Owerri while allegedly driving a stolen vehicle.
According to court proceedings, the convict confessed during interrogation to operating a kidnapping and armed robbery syndicate across Imo and Abia states.
Delivering judgment, Justice C.N. Akowundu held that the prosecution had successfully established all eight charges against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt.
The court heard that Ashiegbu and members of his gang, who are currently at large, abducted one Rex Edwin Achiefula and his wife in Aba after trailing them to their residence.
The gang reportedly dispossessed the victims of their vehicle and $2,800 cash before taking them hostage.
While the woman was later released, her husband was allegedly blindfolded and held captive for nearly six days at an undisclosed location.
The prosecution further told the court that the same gang abducted another victim, Emmanuel Okezie, around the same period along the same route.
Both victims were eventually released after ransom payments totalling millions of naira were allegedly made.
Justice Akowundu, in the judgment, also noted that the convict allegedly maintained several vehicles and routinely transferred ownership of stolen cars into his name, including some reportedly gifted to family members.
Counsel to the defendant pleaded for leniency, arguing that Ashiegbu was a first-time offender, married with children, and the major provider for his family.
However, the judge dismissed the plea, stating that the convict showed no remorse throughout the trial.
The prosecuting counsel, Ikenna Obi, a Senior State Counsel in the Ministry of Justice, urged the court to impose the appropriate punishment in line with the law, insisting that the defendant remained unrepentant despite the overwhelming evidence against him.
Justice Akowundu subsequently sentenced Ashiegbu to death by hanging on all counts.
