Convicted kidnap kingpin Kelvin Oniarah Ezigbe, who abducted Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Mike Ozekhome in 2013, has had his 20-year prison sentence reduced to 13 years following a presidential clemency approved by the National Council of State.

Ezigbe, notorious for leading a violent kidnapping syndicate in Delta and Edo States, was among 175 inmates granted presidential pardon and sentence reductions announced by President Bola Tinubu.

According to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the reduction was granted “in recognition of Ezigbe’s remorse and his participation in rehabilitation programmes, including his enrollment at the National Open University.”

Before his arrest in 2013, Ezigbe’s gang unleashed terror across the Niger Delta, particularly in Kokori, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, where they carried out several high-profile kidnappings and killings.

Among his crimes was the August 23, 2013 abduction of Ozekhome and his driver along the Benin–Auchi highway in Edo State, during which four police officers who responded to the scene were ambushed and killed.

Ezigbe’s gang was also linked to the September 2012 kidnapping of Professor Hope Eghagha, then Delta State Commissioner for Higher Education. His police orderly was reportedly killed during the attack. The group further killed two prison officers in Delta State while attempting to free detained members of their gang.

In September 2013, a joint operation by the Nigerian Army and the Department of State Services (DSS) led to Ezigbe’s arrest in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, just days after he issued an ultimatum to the federal and state governments to develop his native community of Kokori.

Following his prosecution, Ezigbe and a gang member, Frank Azuekor, were convicted by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in October 2023 on charges of conspiracy, terrorism, kidnapping, and aiding escape from lawful custody.

During the trial, Ozekhome recounted being held hostage for three weeks and released only after paying a ₦40 million ransom.

The presidential pardon, which reduced Ezigbe’s sentence, has sparked debate among observers, with some praising the move as part of national reconciliation efforts, while others question its implications for justice and deterrence.