Crime
COURT SENTENCES KIDNAPPER OF AKWA IBOM JUDGE TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT
A Federal High Court in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, has sentenced a 30-year-old man, Nkereuwem Felix Effiong, to life imprisonment for kidnapping a Judge of the Akwa Ibom State High Court, Hon. Justice Joy Unwana.
Effiong, a native of Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area of the state, was convicted on charges bordering on conspiracy, membership of a terrorist group, and kidnapping under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Justice Joy Unwana was abducted on December 18, 2023, alongside her driver, Idorenyin Ekanem, at about 8 p.m. on the Okobo–Esuk Inwang–Ndon Ebom road in the state. The victims were held captive for five days. During the operation, the Judge’s police orderly, ThankGod Ekanem, was shot dead.
The matter was brought to the court by the State Security Service (SSS) in Uyo as the prosecution. Upon his arraignment, the defendant had no legal representation, prompting the court to assign the matter to the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria in line with the provisions of the law. Effiong pleaded guilty to all four counts of the charge. However, the court entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf in respect of count three, the kidnapping charge, owing to the grave nature of the offence and the severity of the punishment attached to it.
Throughout the proceedings, the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria represented the defendant and ensured that all trial procedures were conducted in accordance with due process of the law.
In the charge marked ‘Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Nkereuwem Felix Effiong’, the prosecution alleged that the defendant conspired between November 2023 and May 2024 at Esong Inwang Beach in Uruan Local Government Area with one Ubong Effiong, alias ‘Condiment’, Christopher Eyibio, Emem Friday, and others still at large, to commit acts of terrorism. The 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, contrary to Section 25(1) of the Act. Count three 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 tendered in evidence, Effiong admitted joining the gang, also referred to as ‘Bling Bling Marine Strike Force’, in November 2023 through a friend identified as Joseph, alias Akpa. He told investigators that the gang operated across Uyo, Uruan, Nsit Atai, Udung Uko, Okobo, and Oron Local Government Areas, with a base at Esong Inwang Beach in Uruan.
Effiong admitted to participating in three kidnapping operations, including the abduction of Justice Unwana. He further disclosed that the gang received N25 million as ransom for the Judge’s release and that 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.
“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,” Effiong said in his statement. “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 arrested on July 4, 2024 in Ikot Ekpene Road in Uyo by operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) following months of investigation into the gang’s activities. During the trial, the prosecution presented evidence linking him to the gang’s operations and its activities at Esong Inwang Beach.
Delivering the judgment yesterday, Justice Chigozie Sergius Onah found Effiong guilty on counts one, two, and three, holding that the prosecution 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 bordered on concealment of information, the court discharged and acquitted the defendant.
Nigerian military forces have intercepted a vehicle believed to be transporting supplies destined for the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorist group.
The information was shared in a post on X on Tuesday by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency and security expert focused on the Lake Chad region. Makama reported that the operation was carried out by troops from the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Chabbal as part of Operation HADIN KAI in the North East.
According to Makama, intelligence sources informed him that on February 26, the troops, while conducting routine checkpoint and search operations, halted a Toyota pickup truck on the Maiduguri–Gubio main supply route.
The report indicated that during the search, troops discovered large quantities of textile materials allegedly used by terrorists, 20 Hilux tyre tubes, motorcycle spare parts, 10 cutlasses, and three mobile phones. All the items were concealed under planks in the vehicle. The tyres were also suspected to be connected to ISWAP’s logistical operations.
“Three male occupants of the vehicle were apprehended and, along with the seized items, were handed over to the 7 Mechanised Infantry Brigade for further investigation and intelligence gathering,” Makama stated.
The security expert highlighted that the arrest and seizure were part of ongoing efforts to disrupt ISWAP’s supply chains and reduce terrorist activities in the North East region.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has arrested five persons and sealed 18 warehouses in Bida, Niger State, following the discovery of expired food and beverage products valued at over ₦100 million. The enforcement action, carried out by the agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, was prompted by credible intelligence that led operatives to the facilities located around Ndazabo White House along Minna Road and behind Bida Modern Market.
NAFDAC disclosed that large quantities of expired non-alcoholic beverages, dairy milk, candies, bottled water, and pasta were recovered during the operation. Officials revealed that some of the items had already been repackaged and were set for distribution into the market. Items confiscated include about 80,000 packets of expired non-alcoholic drinks, 5,000 packets of dairy milk, 16,000 packets of bottled water, and 28 cartons of pasta, alongside other assorted expired products.
Managers of the affected warehouses were immediately taken into custody for interrogation. Preliminary investigations, according to the agency, linked the warehouses to a company identified as BY Ventures. Acting on this development, NAFDAC extended its enforcement to supermarkets reportedly owned by the company in Minna, the Niger State capital, where additional expired products were allegedly uncovered. The agency also said counterfeit Goya oil was found on the premises. The two supermarkets were subsequently sealed.
The company’s Managing Director, Alhaji Yusuf Nadabo, was invited for questioning. NAFDAC said he admitted ownership of the expired products during interrogation. The agency stated that investigations are ongoing and assured that appropriate regulatory sanctions would be imposed upon conclusion to deter others from engaging in similar acts.
NAFDAC reiterated its commitment to safeguarding public health by ridding the market of expired and counterfeit products, warning that offenders would face the full weight of the law.
Crime
COURT ADJOURNS CYBERSTALKING CASE AGAINST FORMER NBA BENIN CHAIRMAN EDE ASENOGUAN FOR OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT
A Federal High Court in Benin City presided over by Hon Justice B. Quadri has adjourned until April 13, 2026, the hearing of a cyberstalking charge filed against Ede Asenoguan, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Benin Branch. The adjournment is to enable the parties explore an out-of-court settlement in the suit marked FHC/C/117/2025, instituted by the Federal Government against Asenoguan.
At the mention of the case, E. O. Afolabi, SAN, lead counsel to the nominal complainant, Mr Francis Omoruyi Oloton, Chief Executive Officer of Uyi Technical Company Ltd., with the support of D. Ogbankwa and N. O. Okeke, made an oral application for an adjournment. He informed the court that the request was to enable him obtain proper brief from one Mr Osarenkhoe, who has indicated interest in intervening in the matter.
The police prosecutor, P. O. Odion, told the court that he had been informed by counsel to the nominal complainant that steps were being taken towards an amicable resolution of the dispute. He added that the parties would report back to the court on the outcome of the settlement efforts or proceed with the arraignment if negotiations fail.
Counsel to the defendant, F. I. Esegine, who led I. E. Iguodala, D. E. Otikiti and Asesuwa Ediae, did not oppose the application for adjournment. Asenoguan, alongside one Jessica Iguodala Oghomwen, who is currently at large, is facing a four-count charge bordering on cyberstalking, cyberbullying and perversion of justice. He was also charged with allegedly perverting the course of justice by entering into a bond to produce Jessica Oghomwen for trial on a charge of aiding suicide, a condition he allegedly failed to fulfil.