The prosecution presented evidence showing that Umoh, the pioneer resident pastor of the Ifa Ikot Ubo–Ifa Ikot Okpon branch, entered the compound where the victim resided and later appeared wearing a white garment stained with blood, claiming he had fallen while hanging a banner.
Living Faith Church resident pastor Prince Emmanuel Umoh has been sentenced to death by hanging by an Akwa Ibom State High Court in Uyo for the murder of his landlord.
An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo delivered the verdict on Thursday, with Justice Gabriel Ette finding the 29-year-old clergyman guilty of fatally stabbing his landlord, Gabriel Bassey Edward, on 21 December 2020.
The prosecution presented evidence showing that Umoh, the pioneer resident pastor of the Ifa Ikot Ubo–Ifa Ikot Okpon branch, entered the compound where the victim resided and later appeared wearing a white garment stained with blood, claiming he had fallen while hanging a banner.
Neighbours reported hearing screams from inside the premises on the day of the incident.
Edward, a 500-level civil engineering student at the University of Uyo who had moved into his late mother’s property to secure the estate and live closer to school, was later found dead in his room on 26 December 2020, wrapped in a mat with multiple lacerations.
A butcher’s knife was recovered beside his decomposing body.
Evidence before the court included testimony from six witnesses and circumstantial details linking the pastor to the crime.
The prosecution argued that underlying disputes over access to church property stored in the victim’s flat and unpaid rent had strained the relationship between the two men prior to the fatal attack.
After evaluating the evidence, Justice Ette concluded that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt, describing the offence as a grave betrayal of trust by a religious leader.
“Having found you guilty as charged, I hereby sentence you to death by hanging,” the judge declared.
The conviction brings to an end nearly six years of prosecution by the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Justice, which first arraigned Umoh on 6 December 2021 on a one-count murder charge.
The pastor had pleaded not guilty throughout the trial.
In a bittersweet postscript to the case, Edward’s academic results released after his death revealed that he had graduated with a First Class degree, amplifying public sympathy for his family and calls for justice.
Cover Pix: Deceased Picture
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