A Cross River State High Court sitting in Calabar has convicted and sentenced Okon Ekpo Effiong, 33, to death for aggravated assault, rape and armed robbery involving two children and a woman.
The judgment was delivered on Monday, January 19, 2026, by Justice Blessing Egwu of the High Court. The court held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, warranting the maximum penalty prescribed by law.
Vanguard gathered that Effiong, alongside four others, gang raped a lady and two children after an armed robbery attack. The attack occurred on April 27, 2024, along Mount Zion Street in Calabar South Local Government Area. Valuables were also carted away during the incident.
Passing her sentence, Justice Egwu said the offences were aggravated by the brutality of the attack and the severe harm inflicted on the victims. “Here you have a scenario where it wasn’t just armed robbery where they made away with valuables, they sexually molested children, one of whom was on her period. Then, they took their aunt to an unfinished building and took turns in raping her,” Principal Counsel of Basic Rights Counsel Initiative, James Ibor, explained the aggravating factors considered by the court.
Effiong and one of his partners, who died in custody, were arrested by the Rapid Response Squad of the Nigeria Police, Cross River State Command. Three other suspects connected to the crime remain at large.
Reacting to the judgment, the convict said he regrets his actions but feels the sentence is extreme. The law provides him with the option of an appeal up to the Supreme Court. His counsel, Bassey Otop, who was assigned from the Centre for Citizens’ Rights and Office of the Public Defender, also said the judgment would be appealed.
One of the victims said the memory still hurts but is soothed knowing Effiong is put away. “I am happy and I thank everyone who ensured this came to pass. I thank my brother, the prosecutor who handled this case well. All of you and those who kept watch so that it doesn’t go sideways, I thank you all. I am happy, but there isn’t much I can say now than I hope the rest are caught too,” she said.
The Director of Public Prosecution in the state, Okoi Ukam, said the conviction demonstrated the government’s firm resolve to prosecute violent and sexual offences without compromise. “Deterrence remains central to the handling of cases of this nature. The era of treating such matters lightly is over,” Ukam said.
