A law court in Akwa Ibom State jails a 24-year old man for raping his daughters and sentences a traditional ruler to death for murder
By Chinedu Oguh, Port Harcourt
A shocking moment unfolded in Court as evil father Okon Jimmy Ama collapsed in the dock moments after being sentenced 24 years in prison, without the option of a fine.
The conviction was found guilty for incest, assault occasioning harm and rape of his two under aged daughters. A state High Court sitting in Uyo Akwa Ibom State presided by Justice Winifred Effiong delivered the judgment on February 20, 2026. The case lasted over 10 years.
Mr. Ama 51, a driver and mechanic from Ikot Ekop Village in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State was arraigned based on the Child Rights Law of Akwa Ibom State for offences he committed in 2015 against his two daughters who were 13 and 16 years old then.
The prosecution counsel, Ofonime Idio told the Court that the Defendant repeatedly raped the minors and that the Defendant has also used a motor fan belt to brutalize the girls on several occasions for refusing him sex.
In its final address to the Court, the Prosecution argued that when a Defendant is charged with one offence and evidence shows he committed a similar offence under the law, the Court can convict him for the offence proven, even if it was not expressly charged. The State Prosecution asked the Court to also convict the Defendant for rape.
In the judgment, Justice Effiong held that the Prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt and that evident established the elements of rape alongside incest and assault.
The Court consequently convicted Ama on all counts –sentencing him to seven years imprisonment on counts 1 and 2 for incest by male, three years for assault occasioning bodily harm and 14 years for rape, holding that the sentences are to run concurrently.
The case which lasted 10 years has sparked wide spread concern highlighting the vulnerability of children and responsibilities of adults entrusted with their care. During the trail, the Court heard detailed accounts of the incident which painted a disturbing picture of Ama exploiting his position as a father to commit the offence.
Upon hearing the sentence, Ama lost consciousness briefly in the Courtroom, underscoring the gravity of the judgment. The presiding Judge emphasized that the sentence was necessary to serve as a deterrent to others and to protect children from similar exploitations.
Community members and child protecting advocates expressed relief at the outcome of the trial, calling for continued vigilance in safeguarding minors from abuse in their homes.
The prosecuting counsel from the State Ministry of Justice, Ofonime Idio, described the judgment as “a strong statement against sexual abuse and a victory for justice in the State”. The sentencing of Ama he further said serves as a stern reminder that authorities are committed to holding offenders accountable for their actions.
Similarly, at last justice has been served on the fractional Village Head of Ikot Ebita, Chief Effiong Okon Ukime, in Nsit Atai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State for gruesomely murdered 28 years old Archibong Edem Bassey in cold blood.
The State High Court sitting in Uyo, the State Capital on Friday 21, February 2026 sentenced him alongside two Senior Palace Officials including his secretary, Chief Sylvanus Edet Effiong and his Chief security Officer, Ubong Udo Okpan, to death by hanging.
The Court found the trio guilty of murdering the deceased over a dispute bothering on rested right to harvest of the community palm fruits.
Tentacle gathered that the death of the substantive village head, Chief John Nyong Ekanem, has triggered succession crises with two aspirant- Chief Aniedi Etim Ikpe, a former Village Council Chairman and Chief Ukime Okon Effiong, said to have emerged to contest the vacant stool soon after the burial of the late monarch.
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, and evidence before the Court showed that the faction associated with the Defendants gained the upper hand and asserted authority and control over the village.
They were said to have assumed control of the village administration and unilaterally determined how palm fruits were to be harvested.
To consolidate control, they hired security guard from Ikot Itie Udung a neighbouring community, who were placed under the supervision of the third convicts Ubong Udo Okpon and were paid N25,000 monthly.
However, the Court heard that in August, 2021 the deceased, Archibong Eden Bassey had harvested palm fruits from his personal plantation, but security operatives arrested him and took him before the first convict, the fractional clan 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, (PWI) the deceased’s elder brother, Sunday Edet Bassey, who stated in Court that the Defendants hater has asked him to warn his late brother to steer clear from the plantation or risk being killed.
The Court noted that this testimony was not challenged during cross-examination, and relying on legal principles that unchallenged evidence which the Court accepted as established.
The testimony recalled that on September 10, 2021, the faction led by the first convict reportedly lifted the ban on palm fruit harvesting and the same day, the deceased informed a witness, Gabriel Etim Effiong that he was going to protect his palm trees but oblivious of the death herlange, he was never seen alive again.
The next day, September 11, 2021, his lifeless body was discovered in his plantation with visible marks of being subjected to violence and the matter lodged at Nksit Atai Police Division.
The convicts also appeared at the station claiming that 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. Therefore, Justice Ette held that the Prosecution successful proved the existence of a conspiracy that the Defendants caused the death of the deceased, that the act of intentional and preceded by threats and consequently convicted the trio to be hanged.
In handing down the judgment, Justice Ette condemned the abuse of traditional authority and misuse of power, noting that “when men decide to play god at the slightest opportunity, that power falls into their laps, they should not fail to exercise such power with 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. It is most unjust and highly condemnable to take the life of another in his property. Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword.
“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,” he concluded.
