Poly Lecturer, Cultist Jailed For Terrorism, Extortion In Akwa Ibom

The Akwa Ibom State High Court, Ikot Ekpene Judicial Division, has sentenced a cultist, Innocent Nicholas Ntokon and a lecturer at Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic (Akwa Poly), Abel Udo Jacob, to varying prison terms for their roles in a four-year campaign of terrorism, cultism and financial extortion.

In the judgment delivered yesterday by the trial judge, Hon. Justice Augustine Odokwo, Ntokon and Jacob, were found guilty of subjecting a local businessman, Edikan Jacob Jackson, to a “merciless extortion scheme” which resulted in the loss of over ₦50 million leading to the near-collapse of his legacy family business.

The prosecution proved that between 2016 and 2020, Ntokon used his position as a leader of a cult group – Klaans Konfraternity – to terrorise 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 Postgraduate Degree in Engineering and a lecturer at Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, acted as the “financial clearinghouse” for the syndicate.

The court rejected his defence 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 terrorised for four years and lost his father partly due to a lack of funds caused by this very extortion,” emphasising 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.”

The particulars of the case revealed that Ntokon, was convicted on counts of demanding with menace, stealing, terrorism, and cultism, and consequently incurred a maximum eight years imprisonment (to run concurrently).

And for Jacob, he was convicted on counts of demanding with menace, stealing, and terrorism and got a maximum sentence of three years imprisonment (to run concurrently).

And, in a move to ensure “crime does not pay,” the court ordered the convicts to jointly and severally pay ₦25 million 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.