The prosecuting counsel finally submitted that from the totality of the evidence adduced, the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt against the defendant and urge the court to convict them as charged. Let me start by saying that in our adversarial system of criminal justice its trite law that the prosecution has a duty to prove its case beyond reasonable against a defendant who is charged with the allegation of committing a crime. - Ajibade V. State (2013) 8 NCC 221. - Smart V. State (2016) LPELR 40827. - Akinlola V. State (2015) LPELR 25986. This duty which has been imposed upon the prosecution stems out of the compelling constitutional presumption of innocence in favour of the defendant inherent in our criminal justice system as guaranteed by Section 36 of the Constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended. - Bakare V. State (1987) 1 NWLR Pt 52 P 579 at 588 - Oden V. FRN (2005) 1 NCC 303 at 327 - Ahmed V. state (1999) 7 NWLR PT 012 P 641 - Section 138 of the Evidence Act, 2011 as amended. The facts of this case as revealed by the two (2) counts charges are that the defendant some time in October, 2020 at Kalmalu Village in Illela Local Government Area of Sokoto state conspired along with others who now at large and armed themselves with guns and went to Masalata Village in Niger Republic and kidnapped one Phillips Nathan Walton and brought him to Kalmalu Village of IIlela LGA and demanded for ransom using a mobile phone number 09150266355. Page 6 of 13

Select target paragraph3