The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence handed to a convicted Delta-based kidnapper, Chelynor Halim, affirming the judgment of the Delta State High Court sitting in Asaba.

In a unanimous ruling delivered by a five-member panel of the apex court on Friday, the justices dismissed Halim’s appeal for lacking merit.

The court affirmed his 2017 conviction for armed robbery and kidnapping over the abduction of one Joan Osemene on February 9, 2014, in Ibusa, Delta State.

According to evidence presented during the trial, Osemene was attacked and abducted by Halim and members of his gang before being taken to an unknown location.

The victim told the court that Halim slapped her and threatened her with a gun before covering her nose with a cloth containing a substance that caused her to lose consciousness.

The gang leader, identified as Edozie Obude, was also accused of grabbing the victim by the throat, striking her neck with a metal object, and ordering that she be searched.

The gang reportedly stole her ATM card and ₦10,000 cash before later withdrawing ₦55,000 from her bank account.

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The court heard that the victim’s hands and legs were tied before she was abandoned at another location.

Osemene eventually managed to free herself and escaped to a major road, where she stopped a motorcyclist for help.

The motorcyclist was later identified as Halim, one of the men involved in her abduction.

On recognising him, the victim raised an alarm, attracting bystanders who apprehended him before he could escape.

Halim was subsequently handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS), where investigations reportedly led operatives to the gang’s hideout.

During a confrontation at the hideout, the alleged gang leader, Obude, was killed in a shootout with security operatives.

Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme held that the evidence presented before the trial court clearly established Halim’s identity and participation in the crime.

The apex court ruled that the prosecution sufficiently proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and therefore upheld the sentence of death by hanging.

The appeal, marked SC/CR/913/2022, was consequently dismissed.

The judgment comes at a time of growing concern over kidnapping and violent crimes across Nigeria, particularly following recent abductions involving schoolchildren and teachers in parts of Borno and Oyo states.

Security agencies continue efforts to rescue victims and combat criminal networks operating across different parts of the country.