Kelvin Oniarah Ezigbe, the convicted kidnapper behind the abduction of human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, in 2013, has had his jail sentence reduced under the presidential pardon granted by President Bola Tinubu.
Naijaonpoint reports that Ezigbe was among the 175 persons granted clemency following the National Council of State’s approval.
Presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the development in a statement on Saturday, noting that Ezigbe’s 20-year prison term had been reduced to 13 years.
According to him, the reduction was granted “for showing remorsefulness and attending the National Open University.”
Before his arrest in 2013, Ezigbe was infamous for terrorising Delta State and neighbouring areas, particularly the oil-rich Kokori community in Ethiope East Local Government Area.
He masterminded high-profile kidnappings, including the abduction of Ozekhome and his driver on August 23, 2013, along the Benin–Auchi highway in Edo State.
Four police officers responding to the incident were ambushed and killed by his gang.
Ezigbe’s group was also fingered in the abduction of Professor Hope Eghagha, then Delta Commissioner for Higher Education, in September 2012, during which the commissioner’s police orderly was killed.
The gang was further linked to the killing of two prison officials in Delta State while transporting arrested members of the syndicate.
In September 2013, Ezigbe and five of his associates were captured in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, by a combined team of soldiers and Department of State Services (DSS) operatives.
At the time of his arrest, the self-styled “freedom fighter” had issued a one-week ultimatum to the federal and state governments to develop Kokori.
He was later arraigned in June 2024 on charges of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, kidnapping, incitement, recruitment, and aiding escape.
During the trial at the Federal High Court, Abuja, Ozekhome testified that he was held hostage for three weeks and only regained his freedom after paying a ransom of ₦40 million.
In October 2023, Justice Binta Nyako convicted Ezigbe and another gang member, Frank Azuekor, on terrorism and kidnapping charges. Both men were handed 20-year jail terms, backdated to begin from the date of their arrest in 2013.
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