A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin on Friday sentenced six herdsmen to life imprisonment for kidnapping.

Justice Hannah Ajayi found the men guilty and convicted them of conspiracy, kidnapping, and illegal possession of firearms.

Those convicted after standing trial before the court for about five years included Tambaya Abubakar, Babuga Umaru, Shehu Umaru, Mojumba Bello, Abubakar Juli and Mamma Lawali.

The convicts had been accused of conspiring and kidnapping one Usman Mohammed while armed with two single-barrel guns at Osi in the Ekiti Local Government Area of the state in 2017.

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The charge further revealed that the convicts took Mohammed into the bush where they demanded ransom and were paid N400,000 by the victim’s family.

The convicts, who pleaded not guilty to the charges during the trial, told the court through their separate counsel that they were Fulani who reared cattle and were always busy on their various farms attending to their animals.

But Justice Ajayi, in her judgment, found the six accused persons guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

The Kwara State Director of Public Prosecution, Abdulmumini Jimoh (SAN) expressed satisfaction with the verdict, adding that it would serve as a deterrent to others.