Following a protracted legal struggle, the Akwa Ibom State High Court in Okoita, Ibiono Ibom local government area, yesterday sentenced a 34-year-old man to 10 years in prison for kidnapping his six-year-old cousin, who was sold and had not yet been located.
Kingsley Etim Eyo, a native of the LGA’s Ikot Otoinyie village, was found guilty and sentenced by the court, which was presided over by Justice Okon Okon.
The details of the crime reveal that on July 19, 2018, the offender and his accomplice kidnapped Goodnews Kufre Essien, age 6, from his mother’s care after she had sent him to buy garri in Ikot Otoinyie village, Uruan.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charge leading to the full trial with the prosecution team from the State Ministry of Justice, led by Barrister Comfort Udo, an assistant director of prosecutions, calling three witnesses.
The prosecution also tendered four exhibits, including the Police investigation report dated 20th September, 2018 and the confessional statements of the convict in which he admitted that his percentage from the human trade and child selling was N80,000.
“The money that we sold Goodnews is with Joshua. My percentage in that money was N80,000. Yes myself, Denis Joshua went to a native doctor, Cletus from Ikot Akpa Ekong village in Uruan local government area to do charm in order to hide it from people,” the convict said in his extrajudicial statement.
In his judgment therefore, Justice Okon Okon held that “I have thoroughly and meticulously read and reflected on the entirety of the extrajudicial statements of the defendant and have appraised, scrutinized and evaluated same with the evidence of prosecution witnesses and I can infer that the defendant worked in close collaboration with his friends and cohorts in taking away Goodnews Kufre Essien from the custody of his mother.”
Justice Okon held that “I have also taken into consideration the relationship of the defendant with his aunt and the child victim in this case. The defendant betrayed and compromised his close relationship and abducted the child who according to the defendant calls him “Uncle”.
The court said “the prosecution has beyond reasonable doubt, proved the guilt of the defendant for child abduction as charged and I therefore find the defendant guilty. The defendant, Kingsley Etim Eyo is sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.”