Court Sentences POS Operator to Death for Role in Kidnap That Killed 83-Year-Old Man, Driver

An Imo State High Court has sentenced a 28-year-old point-of-sale (POS) operator, Isaac Okorie, to death by hanging for his role in the kidnapping and murder of an 83-year-old man, Chief Alexander Chukwuma Okoli, and his driver, Daniel Sarki, despite the payment of ransom by the victims’ family.

Justice Matthew Ijezie, sitting at the High Court in Urualla, within the Orlu Judicial Division, delivered the judgment on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, after finding Okorie guilty on six counts bordering on armed robbery, hostage-taking and murder.

The court held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt through the evidence presented during the trial.

According to the judgment, the incident occurred on October 14, 2023, at Isiekenesi in Ideato South Local Government Area of Imo State, when Okoli and his driver were abducted by members of an armed criminal gang.

The court heard that Okorie conspired with other members of the gang, who were armed with guns, to seize the two men and take them into a bush.

The kidnappers also reportedly stole Okoli’s gold-coloured Toyota Corolla, with registration number AAH 989 RM.

The gang subsequently demanded a ransom of ₦100 million from the victims’ family in exchange for their release.

However, the family eventually paid ₦2.515 million, but the payment did not secure the safe return of the two men.

According to the court’s account, the gang killed both victims despite receiving the money and later sent photographs of their lifeless bodies to the family.

The remains of Okoli and his driver had yet to be recovered as of the time the judgment was reported, leaving their family members without the opportunity to give them a proper burial.

During the trial, the court heard that police investigations identified Okorie’s role in the criminal operation as receiving ransom payments from the families of kidnapping victims.

The evidence linking him to the operation formed part of the prosecution’s case, which the court found sufficient to establish his guilt on all six counts.

Following the conviction, the court gave Okorie an opportunity to plead for leniency before sentencing, a procedure known as allocutus.

Okorie reportedly appealed to the court for mercy, but Justice Ijezie proceeded to sentence him to death by hanging.

Reacting to the judgment, Ikenna Obi, a senior state counsel with the Imo State Ministry of Justice who prosecuted the case, described the ruling as significant.

Obi said the judgment would provide some measure of relief to the victims’ family, despite the continuing uncertainty surrounding the whereabouts of their remains.

He expressed hope that the conviction would deter individuals involved in kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes, while discouraging others from joining criminal gangs.

The prosecutor also commended the judge for delivering what he described as a well-considered judgment in accordance with the law.

Amanda, the daughter of one of the victims, also reportedly expressed relief that the court had punished the convict.

She, however, said the family remained deeply distressed by the failure to recover the bodies of her father and his driver.

Although the judgment offered the family some comfort, she expressed hope that security agencies would intensify efforts to locate the remains and arrest other suspects who were still at large.

The conviction marks a significant development in the case, which began with the abduction of the elderly man and his driver nearly three years before the judgment.

However, the family’s search for closure remains incomplete, as the recovery of the victims’ remains and the prosecution of any outstanding suspects remain unresolved.

Court Sentences POS Operator to Death for Role in Kidnap That Killed 83-Year-Old Man, Driver

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