An Ogun State High Court has sentenced Akinsola Goyea to seven years imprisonment for kidnapping his cousin’s 11-month-old baby, Faud Lawal, and murdering him.
The accused on August 24, 2010, went to 7, Olokun Compound, Ijaiye, Oja Ale, Abeokuta area of the state, where his cousin lived and kidnapped the man’s baby.
Goyea later demanded for ransom.
When he felt the ransom was not forthcoming, he murdered the baby.
Justice Olanrewaju Mabekoje, who presided over the case, declared: “Having regarded the plea of the accused person and the facts admitted by him, I find him guilty as charged.
“He is accordingly convicted.
“Accordingly, the accused person is hereby sentenced to seven years imprison with hard labour and without an option of fine.”
Goyea confessed that he had to snuff out the life of the baby by putting him inside a sack.
He later took the corpse to Sangotola area in Ajah, Lagos State, where he handed it over to one Baba Vero.
The said Baba Vero, who is still at large, is an herbalist, living in an uncompleted building.
According to Goyea, he met Baba Vero, who claimed to be from the Republic of Benin, at a place they had worked together before as labourers.
It was during one of their friendly chats that Baba Vero informed him that he was an herbalist and that people pay heavily for both dead and living babies.
The herbalist added that such babies should not be more than a year old.
He claimed that some body parts from such babies, mixed with other portions were potent for money making ritual.
This information prompted Goyea to start planning how to get a baby to kidnap and eventually settled for his cousin’s baby.
Goyea also told the court that he was paid N40,000, instead of the N300,000 promised him by Baba Vero for the baby.
He admitted to have lied to Fuad’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Moshood Lawal, that the baby was alive so that he could collect ransom from.
He also confessed to have kidnapped his tenant’s child from the house he inherited from his father at 8, Anifowose Street, Oko-Oba, Agege area of Lagos State.
He however later returned the child when the case was reported at the Ogijo Police Station in 2010.
Another of his unsuccessful kidnapping attempt was that of Mr. and Mrs. A. Adeniran’s nine-year-old son, Baseet, whom he confessed to have kidnapped at the parents’ home in OGD Housing Estate, Asero in Abeokuta.
He contacted the parents when he got to Lagos and demanded for N1.5 million ransom.
According to him, negotiation was still on before the boy escaped from the restaurant he had taken him to eat.
Trending
- Wema Bank 5 for 5 promo Season 3 grand finale set to hold
- 2024 National SRHR Conference holds in Abuja
- Tyson Fury agrees to Usyk rematch
- We’ll defend, attack, score as a team — Golden Eaglets’ forward Adams
- Breaking: Chelsea, Pochettino part ways with immediate effect
- Ronaldo headlines strong Portugal squad for Euro 2024 + Full team list
- Usyk suspended from boxing, to be stripped of belt
- Breaking: Pochettino quits Chelsea after one season in charge