A 26-year-old man was on Monday sentenced to death by hanging for his role in the kidnapping and killing of a commercial sex worker, Comfort James, in Ekiti State. The convict, David Isaiah, faced judgment at the Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti, where he was found guilty on three charges: conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder.
According to the court, Isaiah committed the crime in collaboration with his associate, Saviour Daniel, who passed away during the course of the trial. The two men had reportedly conspired to lure Comfort James under false pretenses before abducting her and later killing her using a chemical substance suspected to be herbicide.
The court documents noted that both men contacted the victim’s colleagues using her phone and demanded a ransom of N100,000. When their demands were not met, they decided to eliminate her, fearing she could recognize them and report them to the authorities.
The charge read in court stated that the crime took place on February 6, 2024, in Ado Ekiti. During the proceedings, the prosecutor, Ibironke Odetola, told the court that the accused was arraigned on April 18, 2024, and had violated sections 280, 279 (a), and 234 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.
In his testimony, the Director of Afrika Brothel in Irona, Ado Ekiti, shared that the victim had called her colleagues to inform them she had been kidnapped. After her disappearance, fellow sex workers raised an alarm, leading to reports being filed with both the police and the Civil Defence Corps.
Authorities later traced phone calls linked to the suspects. This eventually led to the arrest of Isaiah and the recovery of Comfort James’s body, which was dumped in a remote location.
The prosecution called six witnesses and presented several exhibits including the suspect’s statement, photographs of the deceased, her slippers, SIM cards, and the chemical substance used in the murder.
Isaiah, in his statement to the court, admitted to the crime.
“After having sex with the deceased, we used her number to call her colleagues that she had been kidnapped and demanded a ransom of N100,000,” he said. “Her hands and neck were tied all along, but when the ransom was not forthcoming and on realising that she had seen our faces clearly, to avoid being implicated, we poured herbicide in her mouth and she later died.”
He did not call any witnesses in his defense.
Delivering judgment, Justice Olalekan Olatawura noted that the prosecution had established the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. “Consequent upon the foregoing, the defendant is found guilty as charged,” the judge said.
“Consequently, the defendant is sentenced to 21 years imprisonment for conspiracy, life imprisonment for kidnapping and for murder, the judgment of this court upon you is that, you be hanged by the neck until you be dead. May God have mercy on your soul.”
