FEDERAL HIGH COURT SENTENCES MAN TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR KIDNAPPING AKWA IBOM JUDGE
Uyo, Akwa Ibom State – A Federal High Court in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, has sentenced Nkereuwem Felix Effiong, a 30-year-old man, to life imprisonment for the kidnapping of Hon. Justice Joy Unwana, a Judge of the Akwa Ibom State High Court. Effiong, a native of Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of the state, was convicted on charges including conspiracy, membership of a terrorist group, and kidnapping, all under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. Justice Joy Unwana was abducted on December 18, 2023, along with her driver, Idorenyin Ekanem, at approximately 8 p.m. on the Okobo–Esuk Inwang–Ndon Ebom road. The victims were held captive for five days, during which the Judge’s police orderly, ThankGod Ekanem, was tragically shot dead. The State Security Service (SSS) in Uyo brought the matter to court as the prosecution. Upon his initial arraignment, Effiong lacked legal representation, prompting the court to assign the case to the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, in line with legal provisions. Although Effiong pleaded guilty to all four counts of the charge, the court entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf for count three, the kidnapping charge, due to its grave nature and the severity of the attached punishment. The Legal Aid Council of Nigeria represented the defendant throughout the proceedings, ensuring all trial procedures adhered to due process. The charge, marked ‘Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Nkereuwem Felix Effiong’, alleged that the defendant conspired between November 2023 and May 2024 at Esong Inwang Beach in Uruan Local Government Area with Ubong Effiong, alias ‘Condiment’, Christopher Eyibio, Emem Friday, and others still at large, to commit acts of terrorism. This offence is contrary to and punishable under Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. In count two, the court heard that Effiong knowingly belonged to a terrorist group known as the ‘Bling Bling Marine Strike Force’, headed by Ubong Effiong, alias Condiment, which is contrary to Section 25(1) of the Act. Count three specifically detailed the kidnapping of Justice Unwana and her driver, as well as the killing of her police orderly during the attack, an offence punishable under Section 24(2)(b) of the Act. Count four linked the defendant to concealing information about the activities and location of the kidnapping gang from security agencies, contrary to Section 16(1)(b) of the Act. In his confessional statement, which was tendered in evidence, Effiong admitted joining the gang, also known as the ‘Bling Bling Marine Strike Force’, in November 2023 through a friend identified as Joseph, alias Akpa. He informed investigators that the gang operated across Uyo, Uruan, Nsit Atai, Udung Uko, Okobo, and Oron Local Government Areas, with their base at Esong Inwang Beach in Uruan. Effiong confessed to participating in three kidnapping operations, including the high-profile abduction of Justice Unwana. He further disclosed that the gang received N25 million as ransom for the Judge’s release, and he personally received N300,000 as his share. The convict also admitted involvement in the kidnapping of a pastor of The Apostolic Church in Oron, and another victim whose family paid N5 million for his release. Effiong stated, “We don’t use to cover our faces. Before the woman Judge was released, we received the sum of N25 million as ransom from her family. My own share from the ransom was N300,00. My second operation was the one in which we kidnapped an Apostolic Church pastor in Oron. I don’t know how much was paid before he was released, but I was paid the sum of N100,000 as my own share of the ransom. I also participated in another operation where we kidnapped a man whom the family later N5 million, and I was given the sum of N50,000 as my share from the ransom. We usually use mini bus to carry out our operations. We also used to rob the locals and fishermen to make money.” Effiong was apprehended on July 4, 2024, on Ikot Ekpene Road in Uyo by operatives of the State Security Service (SSS), following months of intensive investigation into the gang’s activities. During the trial, the prosecution presented compelling evidence linking him to the gang’s operations and their illicit activities at Esong Inwang Beach. Delivering the judgment yesterday, Justice Chigozie Sergius Onah found Effiong guilty on counts one, two, and three, concluding that the prosecution had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The court sentenced him to 25 years imprisonment on count one (conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism); 20 years imprisonment on count two (membership of a terrorist group); and life imprisonment on count three (kidnapping). On count four, which pertained to concealment of information, the court discharged and acquitted the defendant.
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