An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced a 29-year-old resident pastor of Living Faith Church, also known as Winners Chapel, Ifa Ikot Ubo–Ifa Ikot Okpon branch, to death.
The court sentenced him to death by hanging for the murder of his landlord, Gabriel Bassey Edward.
The judgment was delivered on Thursday by Justice Gabriel Ette, who found Prince Emmanuel Umoh guilty of killing Edward, a 500-level Civil Engineering student of the University of Uyo.
The victim’s academic results, released after his death, showed that he graduated with First Class honours.
Court records showed that the deceased had moved into his late mother’s property at Ifa Ikot Ubo to protect the estate and stay closer to school.
Before her death in December 2019, his mother had set up a nursery school within the compound.
Edward lived in a two-bedroom flat attached to a long hall in the compound with his younger brother.
The hall, first built for school activities, was later rented out to the church for worship at a yearly rent of ₦150,000.
The agreement was made with the approval of Edward’s father, Emana Bassey Edward, a retired school principal. The church started using the hall even before completing payment.
Umoh was later posted to the branch as its first resident pastor.
Evidence presented in court showed that on December 21, 2020, the pastor was seen entering the compound.
Neighbours later said they heard loud cries of Jesus from inside the premises. Not long after, the pastor was seen coming out in a white garment stained with blood, claiming he had fallen while trying to hang a banner.
Edward was not seen alive again after that day.
On December 26, 2020, a day after Christmas, his decomposing body was found inside his room.
The body was wrapped in a mat and had several deep cuts. A butcher’s knife was recovered beside him.
The pastor was arrested as he was the last person seen with the deceased and had blood stains on his clothing without a clear explanation.
He was charged with one count of murder and arraigned on December 6, 2021. He pleaded not guilty.
To support its case, the prosecution called six witnesses, including the deceased’s father.
He told the court that after the church began using the hall, the pastor asked for permission to store church chairs and other items inside the deceased’s flat because the hall had no doors or windows. The request was approved.
The arrangement later caused problems. Whenever the pastor needed access to the stored items, Edward had to return home to open the flat, even when he was away, and he was not refunded for transport costs. After complaints, his father instructed him to give the pastor a spare key.
After the spare key was handed over, items belonging to Edward’s late mother, such as clothes, plates and other valuables, started going missing. Suspicion fell on the pastor since he had access to the key. When questioned, he said the key had been lost.
The matter was reported to the church’s senior pastor, Owoidoho Etuk Akpan, who later appeared as a defence witness. He gave N5,000 to enable the family change the locks. After the locks were replaced, no further items were reported missing.
The court also heard that tension later developed between the pastor and the deceased over rent money, said to have been paid for the hall and meant for repairs.
In a judgment that lasted over two hours, Justice Ette described the case as painful, recalling how the deceased’s late mother worked hard to build the property for educational use before her passing.
The court ruled that the prosecution proved the charge beyond a reasonable doubt. The judge stated that life is sacred and that anyone who betrays public trust, especially in a religious setting, must face the law.
He then sentenced the pastor to death by hanging.
By Doris Ijeoma Israel
