The High Court of Akwa Ibom State, Ikot Ekpene Judicial Division, has sentenced a convicted cultist, Innocent Nicholas Ntokon and a lecturer at Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Abel Udo Jacob to various prison terms for their roles in a relentless four-year campaign of terrorism, cultism and financial extortion.
In a landmark judgment, Hon. Justice Augustine Odokwo, found Ntokon and Jacob guilty of subjecting a young businessman, Edikan Jacob Jackson, to a “merciless extortion scheme” that resulted in the loss of over N50,000,000 and the near-collapse of his legacy family business.
The prosecution proved that between 2016 and 2020, Innocent Ntokon used his position as a leader in Klans Konfraternity to terrorize the victim.
The court heard harrowing testimony of how Ntokon sent armed “enforcers” to the victim’s shops and used death threats against the victim’s mother and sisters to compel monthly payments.
Abel Udo Jacob, who holds a Post-Graduate Degree in Engineering and a Lecturer at Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, acted as the “financial clearinghouse” for the syndicate.
The court rejected his defense that he believed the millions passing through his account were for “NDDC roofing contracts,” describing the claim as “totally not in accord with common sense.”
At the end of the two- hour judgment, the defendants pleaded for mercy.
The Court in considering their plea for mercy noted: “The victim was psychologically terrorized for four years and lost his father partly due to a lack of funds caused by this very extortion,” emphasizing that the court must weigh the gravity of the psychological trauma inflicted on the victims”.
Justice Odokwo, while evaluating the evidence, described Ntokon as a “predator who used the cloak of a trader to hide the heart of a hardened and merciless cultist and extortionist.”
Innocent Nicholas Ntokon: Convicted on counts of Demanding with Menace, Stealing, Terrorism, and Cultism.
He received a maximum sentence of 8 years confinement (to run concurrently).
Abel Udo Jacob: Convicted on counts of Demanding with Menace, Stealing, and Terrorism.
He received a maximum sentence of 3 years confinement(to run concurrently).
In a move to ensure “crime does not pay,” the Court ordered the convicts to jointly and severally pay N25,000,000 to the victim.
The Court also ordered that a Toyota Avensis and a Mercedes Benz, identified as proceeds of the crime be forfeited to the State and be auctioned to provide partial restitution to the nominal complainant, Edikan Jackson.
