An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced a dismissed soldier, Corporal Stephen Iweh, to death by hanging for the murder of 42-year-old Christopher Enobong Jimmy, the Manager of a Clearing and Forwarding Company in Port Harcourt.
Delivering judgment, Hon. Justice Bassey Nkanang held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Iweh, formerly of the Nigerian Army’s 6 Battalion, Ibagwa, Abak, murdered Jimmy, robbed him of his Toyota Matrix car, and unlawfully possessed an AK-47 rifle without a license.
According to court records, the tragic incident occurred on May 23, 2021, along the East-West Road in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area.
Jimmy had offered Iweh, who was in full military uniform, a lift from the Trailer Park in Onne, Rivers State, to Ikot Abasi.
Along the way, the soldier asked that they stop at Oboro Junction to eat pork meat and ease themselves. It was there that Iweh shot Jimmy dead, fled with the vehicle, and carted away his valuables.
Investigations revealed that Iweh, a 39-year-old father of three from Ameke Nkor in Ngor Okpala LGA of Imo State, had illegally kept the AK-47 rifle since 2018, claiming he picked it in Dambou, Borno State, during his service and decided to keep it as a personal weapon.
On the day of the murder, he was supposed to be on duty at the Army Store, 6 Battalion, but abandoned his post to commit the crime. He was eventually traced to Andy Guest House in Ukanafun, several kilometers from the crime scene, where he was arrested and the rifle recovered.
Justice Nkanang’s ruling brings closure to a case that shocked the Ikot Abasi community and drew wide condemnation, with many describing the act as a breach of trust and a stain on the military uniform.