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Summary
David Isaiah kidnapped and murdered a prostitute, Comfort James, by poisoning her with herbicide. He was later found guilty and sentenced to 21 years for conspiracy, life imprisonment for kidnapping, and death by hanging for murder.
26-year-old David Isaiah has been sentenced to death by hanging for conspiracy, kidnapping, and the murder of a prostitute, Comfort James. Justice Lekan Olatawura of the Ekiti State High Court carried out the sentencing.
David was arraigned on April 18, 2024, on a three-count charge of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder, alongside his accomplice, Saviour Daniel, who died while the trial was ongoing.
According to the charge, the defendant and the deceased accomplice conspired on February 6, 2024, in Ado Ekiti to abduct and kill Comfort James. The offences are contrary to Sections 280, 279(a), and 234 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State, 2021.
During the trial, the prosecutor, Ibironke Odetola, called six witnesses and presented several exhibits, including the defendant’s confessional statements, photographs of the deceased, a burial warrant, SIM cards, a pair of slippers, and a container of herbicide used in committing the murder.
Testifying in court, the Director of Afrika Brothel in Irona, Ado Ekiti, said he was alerted that Comfort James had not returned since the previous day. The missing woman had reportedly called her colleagues to say she had been kidnapped and that her captors were demanding a ransom of ₦100,000.
The matter was promptly reported to the police and the Civil Defence. Through mobile tracking, the authorities located and arrested the suspects, who later led them to the site where Comfort’s body had been dumped.
In his testimony, the defendant admitted that after having sex with the victim, he and his accomplice used her phone to demand ransom from her colleagues. With her hands and neck tied, they later poured herbicide into her mouth when they realised she had seen their faces, resulting in her death.
Justice Olatawura ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. He convicted David Isaiah on all three counts and sentenced him to 21 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy, life imprisonment for kidnapping, and death by hanging for murder.
“The judgment of this court upon you is that you be hanged by the neck until you are dead. May God have mercy on your soul,” the judge declared.
