Dismissed Soldier To Die By Hanging For Murder Of Good Samaritan In Akwa Ibom

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced a dismissed soldier, Corporal Stephen Iweh, formerly of the Nigerian Army’s 6 Battalion, Ibagwa in Abak, to death by hanging for the murder of a 42-year-old man, Christopher Enobong Jimmy.

The tragic incident occurred on 23 May 2021 along the East-West Road in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area.

Delivering judgement, the presiding judge, Justice Nkanang, found the accused guilty on a three-count charge of murder, armed robbery, and unlawful possession of firearms.

According to court findings, Corporal Iweh fatally shot Christopher Jimmy, a clearing and forwarding manager based in Port Harcourt, after the victim had kindly offered him a lift. Jimmy had picked up the soldier at Trailer Park, Onne, Rivers State, while travelling to Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom.

However, upon reaching Oboro Junction in Ikot Abasi, the 39-year-old soldier shot his benefactor dead and fled with his vehicle—a grey Toyota Matrix—and other valuables.

Investigations later revealed that Iweh, a father of three, had unlawfully retained an AK-47 rifle, which he claimed to have picked up in Dambou, Borno State, in 2018, and decided to keep as a personal weapon.

He was eventually traced to Andy Guest House in Ukanafun, several kilometres from the crime scene, where he was apprehended and the firearm recovered.

Justice Nkanang sentenced Corporal Iweh to death by hanging for murder, death by hanging for armed robbery, and 10 years’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of firearms.

The late Christopher Jimmy is survived by his 34-year-old widow, Arit, who tearfully told the court that her husband had left Port Harcourt to visit his sister in Ikot Abasi but never returned.