The Kwara State Government has withdrawn criminal charges against eight men accused of kidnapping, murder, armed robbery and illegal possession of firearms, leading to their discharge by a state High Court in Ilorin nearly three years after their arrest.
The prosecution’s decision to discontinue the case, which involved the alleged killing of Peter Fadahunsi and the abduction of three other people, has raised questions about the investigation and the government’s handling of the serious allegations.
The defendants were discharged on Wednesday by Justice Yusuf Adebayo Dikko after the prosecution applied to withdraw the case on the instructions of the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ibrahim Sulyman.
Senior State Counsel Cyril N. Kolo, who represented the prosecution, told the court that the withdrawal was in the public interest.
However, the government did not provide specific reasons for abandoning the prosecution during the proceedings.
The judge granted the application and discharged the defendants but did not acquit them, meaning the court did not determine their innocence or guilt on the substantive allegations.
The defendants are Suleiman Mohammed, Ibrahim Ahmed, Yekeen Raji, Aliu Saheed Babatunde, Abraham Alaka, Jooji Fajenyo, Salihu Umar and John Gazale.
A member of the defence legal team told Journalist after the proceedings that the defendants were arrested in August 2023 and allegedly paraded as terrorists in connection with the incident.
According to the lawyer, the men were taken to prison following their arrest and remained in custody until January 2024, when they secured bail.
The lawyer said the defendants suffered reputational damage because of the allegations, adding that some were labelled terrorists because of their Fulani ethnic background.
The defence counsel further said the defendants were arraigned in 2026 before the prosecution eventually decided to withdraw the charges.
The lawyer alleged that the case originated from a dispute over farmland between the defendants, who were farmers, and a woman identified as the nominal complainant.
According to the defence account, the woman had purchased farmland from the defendants, but disagreements arose when the farmers insisted that they would not vacate the land.
The lawyer alleged that the woman and people travelling with her were subsequently abducted by unidentified gunmen.
One of the alleged victims, Fadahunsi, later died, according to the prosecution’s amended charge.
The defence suggested that the land dispute was relevant to the circumstances surrounding the arrests. However, the available court documents do not establish that the dispute led to the arrests or that the defendants were falsely accused.
An amended charge dated February 19, 2026, and filed in Charge No. KWS/173/25, contained six counts against the eight defendants.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants and other persons still at large conspired to cause Fadahunsi’s death in Agbamu, Oyun Local Government Area, on or about August 27, 2023.
The state also accused them of conspiring to kidnap Chief (Mrs.) Grace Adepoju, Isaac Kehinde, Wale Omobolanle and Fadahunsi.
According to the charge, the alleged kidnappers demanded ₦90 million as ransom and collected ₦7 million before the victims were released.
The prosecution further alleged that the defendants robbed the victims of mobile phones and cash totalling ₦1.425 million during the incident.
The charges included conspiracy to cause death, an illegal act allegedly intended to cause death, conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping, armed robbery and unlawful possession of firearms.
The prosecution also alleged that the defendants possessed four pump-action guns, four English-made single-barrel guns, one English-made double-barrel gun and 63 live cartridges along the Federal Highway near Erin-Ile in Oyun Local Government Area.
The allegations were not resolved through a conviction before the prosecution withdrew the case.
