Akwa Ibom Court sentences Pastor to death for murder of landlord

An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced Prince Emmanuel Umoh, a resident pastor of Living Faith Church, to death by hanging for the murder of his landlord, Gabriel Bassey Edward.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Gabriel Ette found the 29-year-old clergyman guilty of fatally stabbing Edward on December 21, 2020. The court held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt after nearly six years of trial.

Evidence presented showed that Umoh, the pioneer resident pastor of the Ifa Ikot Ubo–Ifa Ikot Okpon branch, had entered the compound where the victim lived and was later seen wearing a white garment stained with blood, claiming he had fallen while hanging a banner. Neighbours testified that they heard screams from the premises on the day of the incident.

Edward, a 500-level civil engineering student at the University of Uyo, had moved into his late mother’s property to safeguard the estate and stay closer to school. His decomposing body was discovered on December 26, 2020, wrapped in a mat with multiple stab wounds. A butcher’s knife was recovered beside him.

The prosecution called six witnesses and relied on circumstantial evidence linking the pastor to the killing. It also argued that tensions had arisen between the two men over unpaid rent and access to church property stored in the victim’s apartment.

In his ruling, Justice Ette described the offence as a grave betrayal of trust by a religious leader. “Having found you guilty as charged, I hereby sentence you to death by hanging,” the judge declared.

Umoh, who was arraigned on December 6, 2021, on a one-count charge of murder, had pleaded not guilty throughout the proceedings.

In a poignant development, Edward’s academic results released after his death showed that he graduated with a First Class degree, deepening public sympathy for his family and underscoring calls for justice.