Akpan Umoh
The Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo, on Thursday, sentenced three persons to death by hanging for kidnapping a 4-year-old boy in Ikot Inyang Idung Village, Uyo Local Government Area.
It was learnt that the incident took place on November 18, 2016.
The condemned kidnappers are, Victor Etim Bassey, ‘m’, 24 and native of Ikot Inyang Idung, Uyo LGA; Aniediong Ezekiel Thompson, ‘m’, 35, from Ifa Ikot Akpan also in Uyo Uyo LGA, and 30-year-old graduate of accounting, Chika Okeke, 30, graduate of accounting and native of Eziaja in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State.
In his judgment on Thursday, the Presiding Judge of Court VII, Justice Okon Okon, found the three accused guilty of kidnapping, punishable by death in section 1(2) of Akwa Ibom State Internal Security and Enforcement Law, 2009.
He said: “From the totality of the evidence of the prosecution witnesses and confession of the accused persons in their statements to the Police, it was not a lawful excuse that the child was taken away from his mother’s house.”
Justice Okon held that the 1st accused, Victor Etim Bassey took away the child to the second accused, Aniediong Ezekiel Thompson for monetary consideration, which they shared among themselves.
The court said while Victor sold the four-year-old to Aniediong at N200,000, Aniediong in turn, resold him to Chika at N450,000 who also sold to “one sister” who is now at large at N550,000.
In her evidence before the Court, the mother of the child said she left her 4-year-old under the custody of his sibling while she went to market on Nov. 18, 2016, when the first convict gave the child’s elder brother N50 to buy TomTom sweet for him only to return home without seeing both his brother and the convict.
According to Justice Okon, with the help of the third convict, the child was recovered by the Police in Nnewi in Anambra and reunited with his family in Akwa Ibom.
He said: “With the help of the third convict, the child was recovered by the Police in Nnewi, Anambra and reunited with his family in Akwa Ibom.”
He added that in a criminal trial, the guilt of the accused of the commission of any crime can be proved by the evidence of an eyewitness, circumstantial evidence, and confessional statements.
While sentencing the three accused to death by hanging, Justice Okon prayed to God to have mercy upon their souls.