Readers, do you still remember Dr. Fred Ekpa Ayokhai, the associate professor in the Department of History and International Affairs of the Federal University Lafia (FULAFIA), Nasarawa state? You may refer to my November 3, 2022 article titled: ‘’Nasarawa police quick fire action after audacious video by a prof’’. This university don caused outrage among Nigerians, not least women, when a viral video showed him brutalising a young girl with some of his children. The victim was, in fact, stripped and dumped by the road side where she was picked up by the police and taken to the hospital for medicare. According to the Nasarawa state police command then, the senior lecturer’s daughter (Emmanuela) and the victim (Blessing Mathias) had a misunderstanding over a man.
‘’The victim accused Emmanuela of snatching her supposed boyfriend and assaulted her. In retaliation, Emmanuela mobilised her family, went after the victim and got her assaulted as well’’, revealed the police preliminary investigation. Both father, daughter and his two sons who participated in the beating were all arrested. They were Bob Praise Ayokhai, a 300 level Microbiology student of FULAFIA and Saint-Dan Ayokhai. Of course, management of the Federal University, Lafia disassociated itself from the shameful action of its academic staff and condemned it in strong words.
On October 26, 2022 all four suspects, namely, Dr. Fred Ayokhai and his three children (Emmanuela Ayokhai 18 years old, Bob Praise Ayokhai and Saint-Dan Ayokhai both 23 and 21 years, respectively) were brought before Justice Aisha Bashir Aliyu at High Court 1 Lafia. Altogether, six charges were slammed on them. They are ‘’criminal conspiracy, house breaking and criminal force or assault to woman with intent to outrage modesty, kidnapping and inflicting physical injury on another’’. Justice Aisha who happens to be the state’s chief justice, thereafter assigned the case to the High Court in Obi. And finally on Thursday, April 20, 2023 Justice Solomon W. Ayenajeh convicted the FULAFIA senior lecturer to six months in prison for criminal conspiracy and another six months for assault. Reproduced below is a report of the sentence.
“A Senior Lecturer with the Federal University of Lafia, Dr. Fred Ekpa Ayokhai, who has been standing trial at the High Court Obi in Obi local government area of Nasarawa state has been convicted and sentenced to serve a jail term of six months. Dr. Ayokhai was sentenced in a case No. NSD/LF233c/2022 between him and the State Commissioner of Police over criminal conspiracy, house breaking, abduction, voluntarily causing grievous harm without provocation and assault against one Blessing Mathias, 20 years old. He has been in detention since 22nd October, 2022 at the Nigeria Correctional Centre in Lafia.
“Those arraigned with the university don are Emmanuella Ayokhai, Bob-Praise and Saint-Dan Ayokhai, as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants, who are all his children while one of the accomplices, Vera Ogbonnaya, is still at large. After several processes filed, issues joined and witnesses taken on the case with exhibits, the Counsel to the 1st to 4th defendants, A. U. Idris Esq had approached the court with an offer for plea bargain, after his clients pleaded guilty to the charge. It was gathered that the parties involved in the case of Dr. Ayokahi and Blessing Mathias have consented to the plea bargain agreement, where charges against the 1st and the 4th defendants were amended. The convict and the 2nd to 4th defendants were charged with two count charges of criminal conspiracy and physical assault with canes and sticks, contrary to sections 96 and 264 and punishable under section sections 97 and 265 of the Penal Code, Laws of Northern Nigeria, 1963, respectively.
“Presiding over the matter, Justice S. W. Ayenajeh convicted the 1st defendant and sentenced him to jail for six months for criminal conspiracy and another six months for assault. The judge, however, said that the sentence would run concurrently in consideration of his plea. Justice Ayenajeh said the six months period which Dr. Fred had been in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service will be reckoned with. He added that consequent upon the plea bargain and taken into cognisance the ages of his children, the 2nd to 4th defendants are let-off under a six months probation order for six months. Justice Ayenajeh ordered that, within the six months period, they (2nd to 4th defendants) would be tasked with keeping the premises of the Nasarawa State High Court of Justice clean and will also be of good conducts, while the third defendant was admonished to shave his dredlocks”
“Dr. Fred Ayokahi, when given the opportunity to speak thanked his lordship and parties in the matter for the consideration and the leniency accorded him. The convict told the court that, as a father and teacher in a federal institution, he was not and has never been found wanting in the discharge of his duties, that he has taken further step to compensate the victim, Blessing Mathias as part of his consent for the plea bargain. The prosecuting counsel and the State Attorney-General, Abdulkarim Abubakar Kana said that the step taken by the government was to provide for the defendant, a second chance in life, particularly the children who still have a bright future”.
The consensus is that the sentence is rather light. However, It should be borne in mind that sending people to jail is not necessarily to punish them as such but to reform them instead. Besides, the defendant outrightly pleaded guilty to the offences and agreed to a plea bargain that entailed entail personally compensating the victim in some way. One should commend the Nasarawa State judiciary headed by Justice Aisha Bashir Aliyu (the first female Chief Justice in the north central zone) for the rather quick dispensation of the case. I believe the university lecturer has had his baptism of fire in the last six months, considering firstly, his public shaming when the news first broke with his photograph splashed all over in the internet; secondly, he spent both Christmas and Easter in prison custody and thirdly is the emotional trauma which the experiences of these past six months have caused him and his family.
Parents should learn to handle misunderstandings or quarrels between their grow up children and their peers the civil way rather than taking matters into their hands or physically fighting for their adult children. Dr. Ayokhai no doubt has learnt his lesson the hard way. He has been humiliated, humbled and he and his family may wish to relocate to another state far away to start a new life.
Ikeano writes from Lafia, Nasarawa state via victoriangozii@gmail.com, 08033077519