A 26-year-old man, David Isaiah, has been sentenced to death by hanging by Justice Lekan Olatawura of the Ekiti State High Court for the brutal murder of a commercial sex worker, Comfort James.
Isaiah was convicted on a three-count charge of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder, in violation of Sections 280, 279(a), and 234 of the Ekiti State Criminal Law, 2021. He was arraigned on April 18, 2024.
The court heard that Isaiah and an accomplice, Saviour Daniel—who died during the trial in February—lured the victim under false pretenses before kidnapping her. After demanding a ransom of N100,000 from her colleagues, they killed her by pouring herbicide down her throat when the payment failed to materialize.
A witness, the manager of Afrika Brothel in Irona, Ado Ekiti, told the court that Comfort had contacted colleagues shortly before her death, saying she had been abducted and was being held with her hands tied. Concerned, they alerted the police and Civil Defence Corps. Through phone tracking, the suspects were apprehended and led officers to where they had dumped her body.
Prosecutor Ibironke Odetola presented six witnesses and a range of evidence including Isaiah’s confession, photos of the deceased, a warrant for burial, SIM cards, a pair of slippers, and the herbicide used in the murder.
In his chilling courtroom confession, Isaiah admitted to the crime, stating, “After sleeping with her, we used her phone to demand ransom. When the money didn’t come and we realized she had seen our faces, we tied her up and poured herbicide in her mouth.”
Delivering judgment, Justice Olatawura said: “The prosecution has proven beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant conspired with his late accomplice to kidnap and murder the victim. Any sympathetic consideration in favour of the defendant cannot be justified.”
Isaiah was sentenced to 21 years in prison for conspiracy, life imprisonment for kidnapping, and death by hanging for murder.
“May God have mercy on your soul,” the judge concluded.
