Court sentences four to death over Ikot Abasi kidnapping

Etim Ekpimah

An Akwa Ibom State High Court has sentenced four members of a notorious kidnapping syndicate to death by hanging for abducting and killing a businessman in Ikot Abasi.

The convicts, Marvellous Ndah, 38; Anthony Anthony Akpan, 37; Aniema Eshiet, 34; and Onyebule Gift Ogbonna, 41, were found guilty of kidnapping Mr Chijioke Anyanwu, an Anambra State-born businessman and proprietor of Jon KAMSY Supermarket, Ikot Abasi, after collecting a ₦3 million ransom from his family.

The four were members of a nine-man gang that terrorised Ikot Abasi and neighbouring communities in Rivers State between 2015 and 2016.

Delivering a judgment that lasted over two hours, Justice Archibong Archibong held that the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted the defendants on charges of conspiracy and kidnapping.

“I hope this judgment will serve as a deterrent to those who are inclined to engage in crimes like the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th defendants,” the judge said.

The court heard that Anyanwu was abducted on January 25, 2016, in front of his residence in Ikot Abasi. Although his family paid a ₦3 million ransom, he died in the kidnappers’ custody.

His remains were buried in a shallow grave at Ikot Iyire, Edemaya, Ikot Abasi, and were discovered and exhumed about four months later. He was subsequently reburied in his hometown of Agulu, Anambra State.

The deceased was survived by his widow and four children

Evidence also showed that the same gang kidnapped a lecturer of Akwa Ibom State University, Mrs Jewel Emem Thomas, from her residence along Ikpetim Road, Ikot Abasi, at about 2 a.m. on April 16, 2016.

Despite her husband’s plea to be taken in her place, the kidnappers demanded a ₦2 million ransom, which was delivered at Bolingo Mortuary Road, off Igwuruta, Port Harcourt.

After collecting the ransom on April 19, 2016, the kidnappers released the lecturer at Ibekwe Road near Alson Company in Ikot Abasi and gave her ₦80 for transport.

Investigations by the Department of State Services (DSS) led to the arrest of Ndah on April 26, 2016, in Uyo.

In his statement, he confessed to participating in several kidnappings and receiving ₦400,000 as his share of the Anyanwu ransom. His confession led to the arrest of Akpan and Eshiet.

Further confessional statements revealed the roles played by each of the convicts in other abductions, including those of a UBA staff member, a petroleum marketer and a former councillor in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area.

The court, however, discharged and acquitted two other defendants, Uche Success Nwokocha and Chidi Christian Nwokoma, for lack of evidence linking them to the kidnapping of Anyanwu.

The judgment brings to a close one of the most disturbing kidnapping cases in Ikot Abasi and underscores the state’s resolve to clamp down on violent crimes.