Four Men Sentenced to Death for Akwa Ibom Kidnap Spree

A solemn silence fell over the Akwa Ibom State High Court on Thursday as Justice Archibong Archibong delivered a sweeping judgment that brought a dark chapter of regional criminality to a close. After a grueling two-hour session, the court sentenced four men to death by hanging for their roles in a ruthless kidnapping syndicate that terrorized Ikot Abasi and neighboring communities in Rivers State. The convicts—Marvelous Ndah, Anthony Anthony Akpan, Aniema Eshiet, and Onyebule Gift Ogbonna—were found guilty of a string of abductions, including a tragic operation that resulted in the death of a prominent businessman.

The case against the men was built on a trail of violence and extortion that began in early 2016. Among their most high-profile victims was Mr. Chijioke Anyanwuor, the proprietor of Jon KAMSY Supermarket in Ikot Abasi. On a cold January evening, the gang ambushed the businessman in front of his residence. Despite the victim’s family scraping together a N3 million ransom in hopes of his safe return, Anyanwuor died while in the gang’s custody. In a chilling detail revealed during the trial, his captors buried him in a shallow grave in Ikot Iyire, Edemaya, where his remains lay for four months before being discovered by investigators. The deceased, who was eventually reburied in his hometown in Anambra State, left behind a 32-year-old widow and four young children.

The court’s findings painted a picture of a well-organized criminal enterprise that operated with calculated cruelty. Beyond the Anyanwuor case, the gang was convicted for the abduction of Mrs. Jewel Emem Thomas, a lecturer at Akwa Ibom State University. During that ordeal, the victim’s husband had desperately offered himself as a substitute captive to spare his wife, an offer the kidnappers callously rejected. After securing a N2 million ransom delivered at a mortuary road in Port Harcourt, the gang released the lecturer near a local company, handing her a mere N80 for her transport home.

The unraveling of the syndicate was the result of a meticulous investigation by the Department of State Services (DSS), which first apprehended Marvelous Ndah in Uyo. His subsequent confession acted as a domino effect, exposing the identities of his accomplices and the inner workings of their operations. Ndah admitted to participating in at least four major kidnappings in 2016 alone, including the abduction of a petroleum marketer, a bank staff member, and a former local councillor. His share of the ransoms ranged from N150,000 to N400,000 per operation, revealing the grim economy of the gang’s activities.

During the trial, the specific roles of each convict were laid bare. Anthony Akpan admitted to providing the intelligence and logistical support, including monitoring police movements and purchasing food for victims. Aniema Eshiet confessed to acting as a guard, watching over the kidnapped lecturer for five days, while Onyebule Gift Ogbonna was identified as a key operative in the gang’s cross-border raids into Rivers State. While four were condemned, the court discharged and acquitted two other defendants, Uche Success Nwokocha and Chidi Christian Nwokoma, citing a lack of credible evidence linking them to the specific disappearance of Mr. Anyanwuor.

In his final remarks, Justice Archibong emphasized that the capital punishment was intended to serve as a definitive deterrent to those who view kidnapping as a viable pursuit. The judge noted that the prosecution had proven its case beyond any reasonable doubt, ensuring that the legal system provided a measure of justice for the families whose lives were shattered by the gang’s greed. As the convicts were led away, the ruling stood as a stark reminder of the state’s commitment to restoring security in the Niger Delta region.