An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced Corporal Stephen Iweh, a dismissed soldier, to death by hanging for the brutal murder and robbery of a traveller who kindly offered him a lift.
Delivering judgment, Justice Bassey Nkanang ruled that the prosecution had presented compelling evidence proving that Iweh shot Christopher Enobong Jimmy, a 42-year-old clearing and forwarding manager, and made away with his Toyota Matrix and other valuables.
The tragic incident happened on May 23, 2021, along the East-West Road in Ikot Abasi. The victim, who was travelling from Port Harcourt to visit his sister, had stopped to give Iweh a ride from Onne, Rivers State. On reaching Oboro Junction, the soldier turned on him, firing a fatal shot to his head with an unauthorized AK-47 rifle.
Investigations revealed that Iweh had held onto the rifle illegally since 2018, after returning from Borno, and had abandoned his duty post in Abak before committing the crime. He was later tracked down to a guest house in Ukanafun, where he was arrested and the weapon recovered.
The court sentenced him to death by hanging for murder, another death sentence for armed robbery, and ten years in prison for illegal possession of a firearm. His appeal for leniency was rejected.
The widow of the deceased, Arit Jimmy, wept in court as she recalled how her husband left home that day, never knowing he would not return.
