Justice Ette: “Having come to the conclusion that you violated the laws of nature and of this great country, I hereby sentence the three of you to death by hanging. May the good Lord have mercy on your souls, if He so desires”
Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced a factional village head of Ikot Ebita in Nsit Atai Local Government Area, Chief Effiong Okon Ukime, alongside his Secretary, Sylvanus Edet Effiong, and his Chief Security Officer, Ubong Udo Okpon, to death by hanging for the murder of 28-year-old Archibong Edem Bassey.
The court found the three men guilty of murder following the brutal killing of the deceased over a dispute concerning palm fruit harvesting rights within the village.
BACKGROUND TO THE CRISIS
The crisis in Ikot Ebita village began after the death of the substantive village head, Chief John Nyong Ekanem.
Upon his burial, two aspirants emerged to contest the vacant stool:
•Chief Aniedi Etim Ikpe (erstwhile Village Council Chairman)
•Chief Ukime Okon Effiong
The contest polarized the village into two opposing factions with the convicts aligning with Chief Aniedi Etim Ikpe, while the family of the deceased village head supported Chief Ukime Okon Effiong.
This division generated hostility and a fierce power struggle, particularly over control of village economic resources, most notably palm fruit plantations.
SEIZURE OF POWER AND CAPITAL CONTROL OF RESOURCES
Evidence before the court showed that the faction associated with the defendants gained dominance.
They assumed control of the village administration and unilaterally determined how palm fruits were to be harvested.
To consolidate control, they hired security guards from Ikot Itie Udung, a neighboring community.
These guards were placed under the supervision of the third convict, Ubong Udo Okpon, and were paid N25,000 monthly.
The convicts’ extrajudicial statements, admitted in evidence as Exhibits 3 and 5 without objection, confirmed these arrangements.
PRIOR THREATS AGAINST THE DECEASED
In August 2021, the deceased, Archibong Edem Bassey, harvested palm fruits from his personal plantation.
Security operatives arrested him and took him before the 1st convict, the factional village head.
He was assaulted, fined N1,000 for his release, and sternly warned not to enter the plantation again or risk being killed.
This threat was corroborated by the testimony of the first prosecution witness, PW1, the deceased’s senior brother, Sunday Edet Bassey who stated in court that the defendants warned:
“Tell your brother to stay away from this palm plantation or else if he enters again, they will kill him.”
The court noted that this testimony was not challenged during cross-examination.
Relying on settled legal principles that unchallenged evidence is deemed admitted, the court accepted this fact as established.
EVENTS OF 10TH SEPTEMBER, 2021
On 10th September 2021, the faction led by the 1st convict reportedly lifted a ban on palm fruit harvesting.
That same day:
•The deceased informed a witness, Gabriel Etim Effiong, that he was going to his plantation to protect his palm trees.
•PW1 testified that the deceased left home around 8am. for the bush.
He was never seen alive again.
The next day, 11th September 2021, his lifeless body was discovered in his plantation with visible signs of violence.
A ladder was found placed against a palm tree. His machete was missing and his body bore fractures.
POLICE INVESTIGATION
Following the discovery, the matter was reported at Nsit Atai Divisional Police Headquarters.
The convicts also appeared at the station, claiming they had come to report that the deceased had gone missing before his corpse was discovered.
However, the court found this conduct inconsistent with innocence when viewed alongside prior threats, the power struggle and the circumstances of death.
ISSUES FOR DETERMINATION
The central issue before the court was:
Whether the prosecution had proven the offences of conspiracy and murder against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.
COURT’S FINDINGS
Justice Ette held that the prosecution successfully proved:
1. The existence of a conspiracy.
2. That the defendants caused the death of the deceased.
3. That the act was intentional and preceded by threats.
The court emphasized:
•The earlier threat to kill the deceased if he entered the plantation.
•The established control of the plantation by the defendants’ faction.
•The violent nature of the death.
•The unchallenged testimony of prosecution witnesses.
Accordingly, the court convicted Chief Effiong Okon Ukime, Sylvanus Edet Effiong and Ubong Udo Okpon on both counts.
SENTENCING REMARKS
In a strongly worded judgment, Justice Ette condemned the abuse of traditional authority and misuse of power.
He stated: “When men decide to play god at the slightest opportunity that power falls into their laps, they should not fail to exercise such power within the tenets of mercy and righteousness. Otherwise, power, the famous banana peel, has a canny way of showing such men of inordinate ambition that when you ride a tiger, you end up as a meal.”
He further observed: “It is most unjust and highly condemnable to take the life of another in his own property.”
Invoking moral and scriptural reflections, the judge said: “Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword.”
Justice Ette then pronounced: “Having come to the conclusion that you violated the laws of nature and of this great country, I hereby sentence the three of you to death by hanging. May the good Lord have mercy on your souls, if He so desires.”
© Harrison Essien
