A State High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has condemned Emmanuel Umoh, 29, to death by hanging for the murder of his landlord, Gabriel Edward, at Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel), Ifa Ikot Ubo–Ifa Ikot Okpon branch. Mr. Edward was a 23-year-old University of Uyo student in his final year of civil engineering. According to results made public following his passing, he received a first-class degree upon graduation. After finding Mr. Umoh guilty of fatally stabbing the young student on December 21, 2020, at Ifa Ikot Ubo, Uyo, Justice Gabriel Ette delivered the ruling on Thursday.
In order to protect the estate and be nearer to school, Mr. Edward had moved into his late mother's home. His mother had set up a childcare school in the compound before her passing in December 2019.
With the consent of his father, retired principal Emana Edward, the hall constructed for the school was later rented to Living Faith Church for worship at a yearly rent of N150,000. Harrison Essien, a judiciary reporter in Uyo, stated on Facebook that the church started utilizing the hall before payment was finished and that Mr. Umoh was later sent there as the pioneer resident pastor.
The deceased and his younger brother shared a two-bedroom apartment in the compound. After the pastor asked for access for security reasons, church supplies were kept in the apartment. On his father's advice, Mr. Edward handed the pastor an extra key to make entry easier.
The deceased's late mother's possessions allegedly started to vanish shortly after. The preacher said he had misplaced the key when questioned. According to the evidence presented in court, the theft ceased when the senior pastor of the church gave funding to update the locks. Later, the two men became tense over rent money intended for repairs.
According to witnesses, Mr. Umoh entered the complex on December 21, 2020. The loud cries of "Jesus" from within the building were later heard by the neighbors. A few seconds later, the pastor came out in a white, blood-stained gown, saying he had fallen while he was hoisting a flag.
His decaying body, wrapped in a mat with extensive wounds, was found in his chamber on December 26. By his side was a butcher's knife. Not being able to explain the bloodstains and being the last person seen with the dead, Mr. Umoh was taken into custody and charged with murder.
On December 6, 2021, the defendant entered a not guilty plea to the murder accusation against him. Six witnesses, including the father of the deceased, were brought by the prosecution to describe the circumstances leading up to the tragedy.
Justice Ette called the case "very sympathetic" during his more than two-hour ruling, citing the late mother's efforts to provide a future for her children. The judge denounced the irony of a religious leader killing someone on church property and ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
In his decision, Justice Ette emphasized that life is precious and that people who profess to speak for God should defend it rather than destroy it. "What did the young student do to deserve such a cruel death?" he said, stating that it was astonishing that a man of faith should kill in a place intended for worship. When the victim screamed out "Jesus" during the attack, he thought about how the attacker seemed unmoved by mercy.