An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced a 29-year-old resident pastor of Living Faith Church, popularly known as Winners Chapel, to death by hanging for the murder of his landlord.
The presiding judge, Justice Gabriel Ette, convicted Prince Emmanuel Umoh for the killing of Gabriel Bassey Edward, a 500-level Civil Engineering student whose academic results, released after his death, showed he graduated with First Class honours.
Delivering a detailed judgment that lasted over two hours, Justice Ette described the case as “very sympathetic” and condemned the irony of a religious leader committing murder within church premises.
“Life is sacred and those who represent God on earth should teach that. 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 denigrate the very essence of his calling and take someone’s life in the premises of the church,” the judge held.
How It Happened
Evidence before the court revealed that the deceased lived in a two-bedroom flat attached to a hall within the compound. The hall, originally built by his late mother for nursery school purposes, was later rented to Living Faith Church for worship at an annual rent of ₦150,000 with the consent of his father, Emana Bassey Edward, a retired school principal.
The church was allowed to begin using the hall before full payment of rent, and Prince Emmanuel Umoh was subsequently posted to the branch as its pioneer resident pastor.
Tensions reportedly began after the pastor requested to store church property inside the deceased’s flat, citing security concerns as the hall had no doors or windows. A spare
key was handed over to him on the directive of the deceased’s father.Shortly afterwards, personal belongings belonging to the deceased’s late mother began to go missing. When confronted, the defendant claimed he had lost the key. The matter was escalated to the church’s senior pastor, Owoidoho Etuk Akpan, who provided ₦5,000 for the locks to be changed. According to evidence, no further items went missing after that.
The court also heard that disagreements later emerged over rent money allegedly paid for the use of the hall and meant for repairs.
The Fatal Day
On 21 December 2020, the defendant was seen entering the compound. He later emerged wearing a white garment stained with blood, claiming he had fallen while attempting to hang a banner.The deceased was not seen alive again.
On 26 December 2020, a day after Christmas, his decomposing body was discovered in his room, wrapped in a mat with multiple injuries. A butcher’s knife was found beside him.
Being the last person seen with the victim and unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for the bloodstains, the pastor was arrested and subsequently charged with murder.
He was arraigned on 6 December 2021 on a one-count charge of murder and pleaded not guilty. The prosecution called six witnesses, including the deceased’s father.
Court’s Verdict
Justice Ette ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
In sentencing, the judge stated that individuals who betray public trust in such a grave manner pose a danger to society and must face the full weight of the law.
“Having found you guilty as charged, I hereby sentence you to death by hanging,” he declared.
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