Emmanuel Umoh found guilty of stabbing 500-level Engineering student to death in 2020.
Uyo, Akwa Ibom State – A State High Court in Uyo has sentenced a church pastor to death by hanging for the murder of a 500-level Civil Engineering student of the University of Uyo.
The convict, Emmanuel Umoh, was the Resident Pastor of Living Faith Church Chapel, Ifa Ikot Ubo–Ifa Ikot Okpon Branch. He was found guilty of stabbing the victim, Gabriel Bassey, to death on December 21, 2020, at Ifa Ikot Ubo in Uyo Local Government Area.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Gabriel Ette held that the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, leading to the conviction and sentencing of the pastor.
The victim, Bassey, was the landlord of the property where the church operated. He had relocated to his late mother’s house to safeguard the estate and remain closer to the university. His mother, who passed away in December 2019, had earlier established a nursery school on the premises.
Court documents revealed that the deceased lived in a two-bedroom flat attached to a long hall within the compound, alongside his younger brother. The hall, originally built for school purposes, was later rented to Living Faith Church at an annual fee of N150,000, with the consent of Bassey’s father, Emana Bassey, a retired school principal.
It was also gathered that the church began using the hall before completing payment of the agreed rent—a detail that formed part of the background to the dispute leading to the fatal incident.
The judgment has brought a measure of closure to the family of the deceased, who had waited over five years for justice. However, the case has also reignited conversations about the conduct of religious leaders and the safety of tenants in landlord-tenant relationships involving religious organizations.
As of the time of this report, no statement has been issued by the Living Faith Church leadership regarding the conviction.
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