Akwa Ibom High Court has sentenced a pastor to death after finding him guilty of murdering his landlord.
Justice Gabriel Ette of the Akwa Ibom State High Court, sitting in Uyo, convicted 29-year-old Prince Emmanuel Umoh, the resident pastor of a branch of Living Faith Church, also known as Winners Chapel, of killing Gabriel Bassey Edward.
The court heard that Mr Edward, a 500-level civil engineering student at the University of Uyo, had moved into his late mother’s property in Ifa Ikot Ubo to manage the estate and live closer to campus. His mother had established a nursery school on the premises before her death in December 2019.
Part of the compound, a hall originally built for school activities, was later rented to the church for worship at an annual fee of 150,000 naira ($). The agreement was made with the consent of Mr Edward’s father, a retired school principal. The church was allowed to begin using the hall before completing payment.
According to evidence presented in court, Mr Umoh was posted to the branch as its pioneer resident pastor.
Prosecutors told the court that on 21 December 2020, the defendant was seen entering the compound. Neighbours later reported hearing screams from inside the premises. He was subsequently seen leaving in a white garment stained with blood, claiming he had fallen while attempting to hang a banner.
Mr Edward was not seen alive again. On 26 December 2020, his decomposing body was discovered in his room, wrapped in a mat. A knife was found nearby.
The prosecution said Mr Umoh was the last person seen with the victim and had unexplained bloodstains on his clothing. He was arrested and charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty when arraigned in December 2021.
During the trial, the court heard that the pastor had been given access to a spare key to the flat in order to retrieve church property stored there. After the key was handed over, some personal belongings reportedly went missing. When challenged, the defendant said he had lost the key. The locks were later changed.
Tensions also emerged over rent payments for the hall and funds intended for repairs, the court was told.
In a judgment that lasted more than two hours, Justice Ette said the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. Describing the case as “very sympathetic”, he noted the efforts made by the victim’s late mother to develop the property for educational purposes.
“Life is sacred and those who represent God on earth should teach that,” the judge said. “It is an irony and quite appalling when a man who claims to be the representative of the divine on earth stoops so low as to take someone’s life in the premises of the church.”
Sentencing Mr Umoh, the judge said those who betray public trust pose a danger to society and must face the full weight of the law.
He was sentenced to death by hanging.