A 29-year old Resident Pastor of Living Faith Church, also known as Winners Chapel, Ifa Ikot Ubo–Ifa Ikot Okpon branch, Emmanuel Umoh; has been sentenced to death by hanging, by an Akwa Ibom State High Court, for the murder of his landlord, Gabriel Bassey Edward.
The judgment was delivered on Thursday by Justice Gabriel Ette, who found the Pastor 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, just as 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 unidentified 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, following which 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 shrieks of ‘Jesus’ multiple times from inside the premises, and that not long afterwards, the Pastor was seen coming out of the premises in a white garment stained with blood, which he claimed was from a fall while trying to hang a banner.
However, on December 26, 2020, a day after Christmas, Edward’s decomposing body was found in his room,
wrapped in a mat and had several deep cuts, apparently inflicted on him with a butcher’s knife recovered at the scene of the crime.
Subsequently,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 eventually charged to court on 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, which request was approved.
The arrangement later caused problems because 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 any dates for the trips..
After complaints, Edward’s father instructed him to give the Pastor a spare key after which items belonging to Edward’s late mother, such as clothes, plates and other valuables, started vanishing without trace
Suspicion fell on the Pastor since he had access to the key, and 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.
The witness said he later gave N5,000 to enable the family change the locks after which no more items were reported missing.
The Court also heard that tension later developed between the Pastor and the deceased over rent 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 reasonable doubt, stating that life “is sacred” and that anyone who betrayed public trust, especially in a religious setting, must face the law
