A Delta Chief Magistrate Court sitting at the Warri Magisterial
District has sentenced Oghenekevwe Frank Atumu to seven and half years
imprisonment for sending threat to life text messages to an ex- Delta
Commissioner, Love Ojakovo, with an intent to extort the sum of
N13million.
Chief Magistrate Ena Odjugo found the 32
years old accused guilty on the three count charge proffered against him by
prosecution and sentenced him to two and half years imprisonment for each of
the count.
The accused, a cousin to wife of the
complainant who is said to be jobless but claimed to be a staff of an Oil
Servicing Company based in Port Harcourt, was said to have been allegedly
rusticated from the State owned University for Cultism.
“That you, Oghenekevwe Frank Atumu (m)
between 2nd and 21st May, 2013 at Warri in the Warri Magisterial District with
intent to extort money from Love Okeoghene Ojakovo (m) and his wife, sent
threat to life text messages to kidnap them unless the sum of N13million is
paid and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 406 of the
Criminal Code Law, Cap C.21 Volume 1, Laws of Delta State of Nigeria, 2016”
Count 1 of the charge reads.
Love Ojakovo, an ex-Finance Commissioner
during the James Ibori administration who reported receiving several threat
text messages from a Glo line to law enforcement agents and demanding for the
sum of N13million, did not initially know that it was his wife’s cousin that
was the face behind the mask until it was uncovered by operatives of the DSS
who unveiled the true identity of the sender that led to his arrest.
Atumu who made confessional statement
admitting to the offence, however, pleaded not guilty to the three count charge
when he was arraigned before the court for trial.
Odjugo who declined a plea for leniency by
counsel to the defendant praying the Court to impose an option of fine, said
that the offence which has become prevalent in society today is a foundation
for the serious offence of kidnapping.
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