By Charles Maduka
An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has sentenced a 26-year-old man, David Isaiah, to death by hanging for kidnapping and murdering a commercial sex worker, Comfort James.
Isaiah was arraigned alongside his accomplice, Saviour Daniel, who died during the course of the trial. The court found him guilty on three counts: conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder.
Justice Olalekan Olatawura ruled that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The court sentenced Isaiah to 21 years imprisonment for conspiracy, life imprisonment for kidnapping, and death by hanging for murder.
The case began after Comfort James was reported missing by her colleagues at Afrika Brothel in the Irona area of Ado Ekiti. The brothel’s director told the court that Comfort had called other sex workers to say she had been kidnapped and that her abductors were demanding a ransom of N100,000.
The report was made to security agencies, and the suspects were tracked and arrested. They later led authorities to the location where they dumped Comfort’s body after killing her with herbicide.
The prosecution, led by Ibironke Odetola, presented six witnesses and various exhibits including the suspects’ statements, photos of the deceased, and the herbicide used in the murder.
Isaiah, who testified in his own defence, admitted to the crime, saying they decided to kill the victim after realising she had seen their faces.
Justice Olatawura, in his judgment, said any sympathy for the convict was unfounded given the gravity of the offence.
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