A Cross River State High Court sitting in Calabar has sentenced a 33-year-old man, Okon Effiong, to death for armed robbery, rape and aggravated assault.
Justice Blessing Egwu delivered the judgment on Monday, January 19, 2026, after ruling that the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Effiong was found guilty of participating in an armed robbery attack carried out on April 27, 2024, along Mount Zion
Street in Calabar South Local Government Area. During the incident, a woman and two minors were sexually assaulted, while valuables were stolen.
In her ruling, Justice Egwu held that the offences were aggravated by the brutality of the attack and the severe harm inflicted on the victims, noting that the circumstances justified the maximum punishment prescribed by law.
The convict was arrested alongside another suspect by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad of the Cross River State Police Command. The accomplice later died in custody, while three other suspects connected to the crime are still at large.
Reacting to the judgment, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the state, Okoi Ukam, said the conviction demonstrated the government’s firm resolve to prosecute violent and sexual offences without compromise.
“Deterrence remains central to the handling of cases of this nature. The era of treating such matters lightly is over,” Ukam said.
He attributed the successful prosecution, led by Joseph Akpajung, to the support of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ededem Ani, noting that prosecutors were encouraged to pursue cases diligently despite pressure. Ukam also commended the Cross River State Police Command, under Commissioner of Police Rashid Afegbua, particularly the gender unit, for its investigative efforts.
Also speaking, the Principal Counsel of the Basic Rights Counsel Initiative (BRCI), James Ibor, said the court acted in line with established sentencing guidelines, stressing that the offences went beyond armed robbery due to the sexual violence and trauma suffered by the victims.
Following the judgment, Effiong expressed remorse and described the sentence as excessive. His counsel, Bassey Otop, of the Centre for Citizens’ Rights and the Office of the Public Defender, said an appeal would be filed.
One of the survivors, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that although the trauma remains, the judgment has brought some relief. She commended the prosecution team for its diligence and expressed hope that the remaining suspects would be arrested.
