Akwa Poly Lecturer, Accomplice Sentenced for Extortion and Cultism

Abel Udo Jacob, a lecturer at Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic in Ikot Osurua, and Nicholas Ntokon, an innocent man, were found guilty by the State High Court of offenses related to terrorism, extortion, and cultism.

While his counterpart, Innocent, would serve eight years in prison, lecturer Abel would be imprisoned for three years.

Ntokon and Jacob were found guilty by trial judge Hon. Justice Augustine Odokwo on Wednesday of subjecting local businessman Edikan Jacob Jackson to a “merciless extortion scheme” that caused him to lose over N50,000,000 and nearly bring down his family business.

The prosecution demonstrated that between 2016 and 2020, Innocent Ntokon intimidated the victim by using his leadership role in Klans Konfraternity.

The professor served as the syndicate’s “financial clearinghouse,” while Ntokon deployed armed “enforcers” to the victim’s stores and threatened to kill the victim’s mother and sisters in order to extract monthly payments.

His position that he thought the millions going through his account were for “NDDC roofing contracts” was dismissed by the court, which called the argument “totally not in accord with common sense.”

Following the two-hour verdict, the defendants begged for forgiveness.

“The victim was psychologically terrorized for four years and lost his father partly due to a lack of funds caused by this very extortion,” the court stated in evaluating their appeal for compassion, highlighting the need for the court to evaluate the severity of the psychological damage imposed on the victims.

In assessing the evidence, Justice Odokwo called Ntokon a “predator who used the cloak of a trader to hide the heart of a hardened and merciless cultist and extortionist” and sentenced him to eight years in prison (to run consecutively).

After being found guilty on charges of terrorism, stealing, and demanding with menace, Abel Udo Jacob was given a maximum term of three years in prison (to run concurrently).

Additionally, the court mandated that the convicted parties pay the victim N25,000,000 jointly and severally.

In order to partially compensate the nominal complainant, the court further mandated that a Toyota Avensis and a Mercedes Benz that were found to be proceeds of the crime be forfeited to the State and put up for auction.