An Akwa Ibom State High Court has sentenced one Kingsley Etim Eyo, 34, to 10 years jail for the kidnapping and selling of his six-year-old cousin who has not been found.
It was gathered that the convict and one other, kidnapped the six year-old Goodnews Kufre Essien on July 19, 2018 when his mother sent him to buy garri in Ikot Otoinyie, in Uruan Local Government Area of the state.
Prosecution during trial tendered four exhibits, including Police Investigation Report dated September 20, 2018, which revealed that the convict in his confessional statement, admitted that his percentage from the child’s sale was N80,000.
“The money that we sold Goodnews is with Joshua. My percentage in that money is 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 was quoted as saying. Justice Okon Okon relied on the evidence and section 28 (1) and (2) of Child Rights Law of Akwa Ibom State 2008 to convict him.
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“No person shall remove or take a child out of the custody or protection of his father, mother, guardian or such other person having lawful care or charge of the child against the will of the father, mother, guardian or other person.
“Such a person who contravenes the provisions of this section commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of 10 years.
“I have thoroughly and meticulously read and reflected on the entirety of the extrajudicial statements of the defendant and have appraised, scrutinised 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, the PW1,” the court stated.
