An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced four men to death by hanging for the kidnapping of a retired ExxonMobil worker, Mr Idongesit Demas Udom, and the amputation of his hand after collecting a ₦5m ransom.
The convicts—Chinatu Iwe Abraham, 38, from Isiala Ngwa in Abia State; William ThankGod Sunday, 30; Ubon Monday Ebebe, 30; and Saturday Jonah Udo, 43—were found guilty of conspiracy, kidnapping and wounding with intent to maim, disfigure or disable.
Delivering judgment after a four-hour reading, Justice Gabriel Ette held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, relying on the testimony of five witnesses, including the victim himself.
However, the court discharged and acquitted three other defendants—Kingsley John Akpan, 32; Etimefiok Ime Ezekiel, 37; and Joseph Sunday Etim, 31—after ruling that the prosecution failed to establish their involvement in the crime.
The court heard that Udom, then 62, was abducted following a dispute that arose in December 2016 over an attempt to organise a second “cultist carnival” in Idung Nneke village, Ukanafun Local Government Area.
Udom, who was the administrator of the royal family and president of the Idung Nneke Development Association, told the court that village elders opposed the carnival after a billboard advertised activities such as smoking, drinking and eating competitions, which they said would corrupt youths.
A meeting at his residence resolved that the event should not hold, and the matter was reported to the Divisional Police Officer in Ukanafun, who deployed officers to stop it.
According to the prosecution, the decision infuriated the second convict, William ThankGod Sunday, who later blamed Udom for his loss in a village youth leadership election and allegedly issued threats against him.
Evidence before the court showed that on March 16, 2017, Sunday convened a meeting with accomplices and recruited kidnappers from Abia State after local criminals refused to target Udom due to his influence in the community.
Udom was eventually kidnapped, a ₦5m ransom was paid, and his hand was amputated by the abductors.
In sentencing, Justice Ette imposed seven years’ imprisonment on each of the convicts for conspiracy, death by hanging for kidnapping and three years’ imprisonment for wounding with intent to maim.
While pronouncing the death sentence, the judge said, “May the Lord have mercy on your souls.”
The convicts pleaded for leniency during allocutus, but the court held that the punishment prescribed by law must be enforced.
Udom, now in his 70s, attended the judgment and was said to be visibly relieved that justice had been served, as heavy security surrounded the court premises.
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