SHAH ALAM: Four Nigerian students were sentenced by the High Court of Malaysia to four years’ imprisonment each after they pleaded guilty to kidnapping and wrongfully confining a private college student for 29 days three years ago.

Gebrel Mowaski, 31, Nduka Johnson Samuel, 31, Igwe Onyebuchi Promise, 24, and Odimega Chiedozie, 30, had been charged with abducting the victim for ransom, an offence that carries the death sentence.

But the four pleaded guilty to alternative charges yesterday.

Mowaski and Samuel admitted to kidnapping the victim, now 30, with the intention of secretly and wrongfully confining him in a house in Bandar Damai Perdana, Kajang, bet­ween May 23 and June 20, 2010.

Promise and Chiedozie admitted having knowledge of the kidnapping and keeping the student confined.

It was learned that the victim came from a family of wealth and influence in Nigeria.

The kidnapped student, who was held captive and guarded by Promise and Chiedozie, feigned death on the 29th day.

The four accused then took him out of the house and threw him in a drain in Cyberjaya.

Following a police report, the four were detained.

DPP Aidatul Azura Zainal Abidin said the victim refused to attend the proceedings out of fear of his captors.

Justice Ahmadi Asnawi ordered the jail term to run from the date of arrest on June 20, 2010.