The Anambra High Court in Onitsha has sentenced Kosisochukwu Celestine to death by hanging after finding him guilty of kidnapping and armed robbery.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Sylvester Odili ruled that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt through eyewitness accounts, bank records, documentary evidence and other independent material presented before the court.
According to the prosecution, Celestine and members of his gang attacked Chukwudi Collins at gunpoint in the Fegge area of Onitsha on August 6, 2022. The victim was abducted, injured and forced to transfer about N6.7 million from his bank account while being held captive.
The court heard that the gang also stole the victim's vehicle and other valuables before detaining him for about a day and later abandoning him.
Prosecutors said investigations led authorities to trace the suspect to Enugu State. He was eventually arrested in Onitsha after allegedly evading arrest for about six months.
The prosecution team, led by Chief State Counsel Ekwerekwu Uchenna alongside Principal State Counsels Rosemary Uwaeze and S.I. Mmaduelosi, called three witnesses and tendered several exhibits, including bank records linked to payments made before the victim's release.
The defence called two witnesses and challenged the admissibility of the defendant's confessional statement, arguing that it did not comply with Section 14 of the Anambra State Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2022, which requires confessional statements to be video-recorded.
Although Celestine initially made a detailed confession admitting involvement in the crimes, he later withdrew the statement during the trial. The court subsequently struck out the confession after finding that it had not been video-recorded as required by law and did not rely on it in reaching its verdict.
The conviction was based on other evidence presented by the prosecution.
