DSS Obtains Death Sentence For Kogi Kidnap Suspect

A High Court of Kogi State has sentenced one Jibrin Halilu to death after finding him guilty of kidnapping and killing his neighbour, Uche Andrew Offo, a hotel owner in Obajana.

According to Ireporter Online, the ruling was delivered by Justice Abdul Nicodemus Awulu, who convicted Halilu on charges of conspiracy and kidnapping under Sections 12, 6(1), and 4(3)(a) of the Kogi State Kidnapping and Other Related Offences Prohibition Law, 2023.

Court records showed that Halilu and members of his gang allegedly stormed Everready Hotel in Angwa-Tiv, Obajana, on March 23, 2023, abducting the proprietor, Offo. Despite a ₦2.5 million ransom reportedly paid by the victim’s family, Offo was later killed.

Security sources linked to the Department of State Services (DSS) disclosed that investigations revealed the victim identified Halilu, his neighbour, while in captivity. Despite receiving the ransom, Halilu allegedly proceeded to kill him.

The DSS prosecutor further told the court that Halilu was arrested on December 4, 2025, after sustained intelligence operations. Investigations also reportedly connected him and his gang to another kidnapping incident in Lokoja on April 2, 2023, involving Ibrahim Abdullahi, from whom ₦5 million ransom was collected.

The conviction comes amid a series of recent rulings in similar high-profile cases, including a Katsina State High Court judgment that sentenced a female arms courier to death following DSS prosecution, as well as a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja that handed death sentences to four men over the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, which left over 40 worshippers dead and more than 100 injured.

A security source described the wave of convictions as a significant boost to DSS operations in the fight against terrorism, kidnapping, and violent crime, noting that the judgments reinforce the message that offenders will be arrested, prosecuted, and made to face the full weight of the law.