An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Ikot Ekpene has sentenced a lecturer of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Abel Udo Jacob, and his accomplice, Innocent Nicholas Ntokon, to a combined 11-yea herr jail term for their involvement in a ₦50 million extortion l.
Delivering his judgment, Justice Augustine Odokwo found the two men guilty of threatening and financially exploiting a businessman, Edikan Jacob Jackson, over several years.
The court held that between 2016 and 2020, Ntokon, allegedly a leader of the Klans confraternity used intimidation and threats against the victim and his family to force him to make regular payments. Armed men were reportedly sent to the businessman’s shops to enforce the demands.
Jacob, the polytechnic lecturer, was said to have acted as the syndicate’s financial channel, allowing the extorted funds to pass through his bank account.
Justice Odokwo dismissed Jacob’s claim that he believed the money was linked to roofing contracts from the Niger Delta Development Commission, describing the explanation as unreasonable and unsupported by evidence.
In his ruling, he described Ntokon as a “merciless extortionist,” sentencing him to eight years imprisonment for offences including cultism, stealing and terrorism. Jacob received a three-year jail term for his role in the scheme.
The court also ordered the convicts to jointly pay ₦25 million in restitution to the victim. In addition, a Toyota Avensis and a Mercedes-Benz identified as proceeds of the crime were forfeited to the state and will be auctioned to compensate the victim.
Justice Odokwo stressed that the judgment should serve as a warning that criminal activities and intimidation would not be tolerated in the state.
