By: Zagazola Makama
Barely 24 hours after a Katsina State High Court sentenced to death a female arms courier arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS), a High Court of Kogi State has also imposed the death penalty on a man the DSS successfully prosecuted for kidnapping and murdering his neighbour, who ran a hotel in Obajana.
The Katsina and Kogi sentences came less than two weeks after a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, imposed the death penalty on four men arrested by the DSS for carrying out the June 5, 2022 terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
The Kogi court, presided over by Justice Abdul Nicodemus Awulu, on Tuesday, found Jibrin Halilu guilty on the charges of conspiracy and kidnapping, in contravention of Sections 12, 6 (1), and 4 (3)(a) of the Kogi State Kidnapping and Other Related Offences Prohibition Law, 2023.
The court subsequently sentenced Halilu to death.
According to the prosecution, on March 23, 2023, Halilu and other members of his armed gang stormed Ever Ready hotel, Angwa-Tiv, in Obajana town, abducting the proprietor, Uche Andrew Offo.
Even though Offo’s family handed his abductors the N2.5 million ransom they demanded, they, nonetheless, killed him.
The DSS prosecutor told the court that operatives of the Service arrested Halilu on December 4, 2025.
“DSS investigations revealed that, while with his abductors, Offo was able to identify Halilu, who happened to be his neighbour, as being part of those who kidnapped him. That was when Halilu, despite the N2.5 million ransom he collected from Offo’s family, still killed him.
“Further investigations by the DSS also linked Halilu and his gang to the April 2, 2023 kidnapping of one Ibrahim Abdullahi, a resident of Oshokoshoko Community in Lokoja, from whom the gang collected a N5 million ransom,” a source also revealed.
The Kogi and Katsina convictions and sentencings come on the heels of a June 3, 2026, landmark verdict by a Federal High Court in Abuja sentencing four men to death for their roles in the June 5, 2022 terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
The court sentenced the quartet of Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, and Abdulhaleem Idris to death by hanging for the attack which resulted in the death of over 40 worshippers and left over 100 persons injured.
“These convictions mark a significant run of courtroom victories for the DSS, reinforcing the message that those who engage in terrorism, kidnapping, and armed violence will not only be caught, but will be prosecuted and made to face the full consequences of their actions,” the source declared.
