A serving police corporal and a civilian accomplice have been sentenced to death for abducting a secondary school principal in Akwa Ibom State, 10 years ago.
Justice Nsemeke Daniel of the High Court in Uyo handed down the death penalty by hanging to Corporal Mbazigwe Chinedu Friday and Isaac Eddy Ndeesor after finding them guilty of kidnapping Elder Akara Johnson Mendie in 2015.
The incident occurred on July 5, 2015, when Mendie was ambushed while returning from church with members of his family in Ukanafun Local Government Area. Armed men intercepted their vehicle, seized the principal and drove off, leaving his wife and relatives in shock.
Evidence before the court showed that the abductors initially demanded millions of naira for the victim’s life. During his captivity, Mendie was blindfolded and taken to a hideout in Rivers State. He told the court that his captors claimed they had been contracted to kill him but later offered to spare him in exchange for payment.
Negotiations dragged on for days, with ransom delivery points repeatedly shifted across Bayelsa and Rivers states. Eventually, N200,000 was paid through the victim’s younger sister. The principal was later abandoned in Bori, Rivers State, from where he made his way to the police before returning home.
The prosecution established that Corporal Friday, attached to Mopol 57 in Akwa Ibom at the time, played a central role in executing the abduction. In his statement, he admitted using his vehicle to block the victim’s car and assisting in transporting him to a bush in Ogoni after switching vehicles when his first car developed mechanical problems.
The court heard that Friday was drawn into the operation by an acquaintance identified as Felix, who allegedly mentioned that a politically exposed individual wanted the victim kidnapped over a personal grievance.
In delivering judgment, Justice Daniel criticised the decade-long delay in concluding the matter, noting that the case began in 2016 but was only resolved in 2026. He rejected the defence’s claim that the officer had been framed, describing the evidence against him as compelling.
The judge condemned the involvement of a serving police officer in a criminal enterprise, saying the act represented a grave betrayal of public trust.
Both men were sentenced to death by hanging.
