A High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has sentenced a dismissed soldier, Corporal Stephen Iweh, to death by hanging for the brutal murder of a Port Harcourt-based businessman, Mr. Christopher Enobong Jimmy, who had offered him a lift.
Justice Bassey Nkanang, in his judgment on Friday, held that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Iweh, a former soldier of the 6 Battalion, Ibagwa, Abak, murdered the 42-year-old clearing and forwarding manager on May 23, 2021, along the East-West Road in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area.
The court found that Iweh, 39, shot Jimmy dead at Oboro Junction, stole his Toyota Matrix car and other valuables, and fled the scene with an AK-47 rifle he had unlawfully kept since 2018.
Court records showed that the soldier, who was recruited into the Nigerian Army in 2002, was on duty at the Army Store on the day of the incident but abandoned his post to carry out the crime.
He was later traced to a guest house in Ukanafun, where security operatives recovered the stolen rifle and arrested him.
Justice Nkanang convicted the convict on a three-count charge of murder, armed robbery, and unlawful possession of firearms.
He was sentenced to death by hanging for murder, death by hanging for armed robbery, and 10 years imprisonment for illegal possession of firearms.
During allocutus, Iweh, a father of three from Ameke Nkor in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State, pleaded for leniency and begged the court for a “soft landing.” His plea was, however, rejected.
The late Jimmy, an indigene of Ikot Abasi, was married to Arit, 34, who broke down in tears in court. She recalled that her husband had left Port Harcourt to visit his sister in Ikot Abasi but never returned.
“The judgment is justice not only for my husband but also for our family,” she sobbed.
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