Court Sentences Ex-Soldier to Death for Murder

By Ekanem Asuquo

The Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced a dismissed soldier, Corporal Stephen Iweh, to death by hanging for the murder of a Port Harcourt businessman, Mr. Christopher Enobong Jimmy.

The incident happened on May 23, 2021, along the East-West Road in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area. Jimmy, who managed a clearing and forwarding company, had offered the soldier a lift from Onne, Rivers State, to Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom.

At Oboro Junction, the ex-soldier fatally shot Jimmy before fleeing with his Toyota Matrix car and valuables. He was later traced to a guest house in Ukanafun, where he was arrested and an AK-47 rifle recovered.

Investigations revealed that Iweh, a 39-year-old father of three, had kept the rifle since 2018, claiming he picked it in Dambou, Borno State, while on duty.

Delivering judgment, Justice Bassey Nkanang ruled that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, convicting Iweh for 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 unlawful possession of firearms.

The convict, who joined the army in 2002 and hails from Imo State, pleaded for leniency, but the court rejected his plea.

The late Jimmy is survived by his wife, Arit, who said her husband had left Port Harcourt to visit his sister in Ikot Abasi but never returned home.