26-year-old sentenced to d£ath for murd£ring s£x worker with herbicide
26-year-old sentenced to death for murdering sex worker with herbicide
The Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti, presided over by Justice Lekan Olatawura, has condemned David Isaiah, 26, to de@th by hanging for conspiracy, k!dnapping, and murd£r.
Isaiah faced trial before Justice Olatawura on April 18, 2024, on three counts of conspiracy, kidnapp!ng, and murd£r. The prosecution stated that these offenses violate Sections 280, 279(a), and 234 of the Ekiti State Criminal Law, 2021.
According to the charges, the defendant and his accomplice, Savior Daniel—who d!ed during the trial on February 6, 2024—conspired to abduct and kill Comfort James, a s£x worker, within the court’s jurisdiction.
During the proceedings, the Director of Afrika Brothel in Irona, Ado Ekiti, testified that other workers reported the victim missing after she informed them via phone that she had been kidnapped, restrained, and held for a N100,000 ransom.
The director alerted the police and later the Civil Defence, leading to the tracking and arrest of the suspects, who then guided officers to the location where the victim’s body was discarded.
Prosecutor Ibironke Odetola presented six witnesses and submitted evidence, including the defendant’s statements, photographs of the deceased, burial authorization, footwear, SIM cards, and the herbicide used in the crime.
The defendant admitted in his testimony that after engaging in sexual activity with the victim, they used her phone to demand ransom from her colleagues. When the ransom was not paid, they bound her hands and neck, and upon realizing she could identify them, they forced herbicide into her mouth, resulting in her death. The defendant called no witnesses in his defense.
In his ruling, Justice Olatawura declared that the prosecution had established beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant conspired with his deceased associate to kidnap and murder Comfort James. The judge stated, “No leniency can be justified for the defendant in light of the victim’s fate.”
Consequently, Isaiah was sentenced to 21 years for conspiracy, life imprisonment for kidnapping, and death by hanging for murder. Justice Olatawura concluded, “May God have mercy on your soul.”
