Blantyre Magistrate Court has sentenced a 20 year old Noah Mmadi Eleson for kidnapping or abducting a 32 year old man which is contrary to Section 261 of the Penal Code.
The court heard that the convict was told by his friend that there is a company which buys human beings for relish.
He then asked him to give him the phone numbers of that company or give him a direction so that he can do that business with the company.
Mmadi Eleson then communicated with that company which is known as Amitofo Care centre and met with some of the officials there.
One of these officials advised him to bring the person on Monday the 7 September so that the organization should buy him at a price of MK5 million.
Eleson then lied to the victim Patrick Julio that he had found him a job at the organization (Amitofo) and they should go together on that day (Monday 7 September) when he was told to bring him.
When they went to Amitofo with the victim, the officials told him to wait for some minutes to process his money but instead the organization informed Limbe Police Station about the incident who arrested the convict on the spot.
When he appeared before court, Eleson accepted the charges and the court found him guilty on the charges of kidnapping/abducting the person in order to kill the crime which attracts the penalty of life imprisonment.
The court said this is a very serious offence since the convict kidnapped the victim Julio and offered him for sale to Amitofo Care Centre in order that he may be killed or disposed of or to be put in danger of being murdered.
On mitigation, Assistant Commissioner of Police who is also the Region Prosecution Officer David Mtete asked the court to give a stiffer punishment considering the fact that the cases of kidnapping and abducting of human beings are becoming rampant in the country.
On his side, the convict asked the court to give him a simple punishment since he has a single parent, has two children, that his wife is pregnant and that he is the first offender.
When passing the judgment, Senior Resident Magistrate Viva Nyimba said the court gives him a power to give him a sentence of not less than 21 years imprisonment but however sentenced him to 15 years.
He said the convict planned the crime since he had enough time to consider about his responsibilities before committing the crime.
Nyimba said he gave the stiffer punishment to deter other people with the same behaviors and to clean the reputation of this country, the Amitofo Care Center and to put trust to the people about their security.
The Magistrate said the case has a potential to tarnish the image of the country outside who will think that Malawi accepts people to sell one another and that the Amitofo Care Center buys human beings for relish which is contrary to the mission of the center, which aims at supporting and training the youth in different skills.
Noah Mmadi Eleson hails from Biliati village Tradition Authority Makwangwala in Ntcheu district.
