The Digest:
A State High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has sentenced 29-year-old Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel) pastor Emmanuel Umoh to death by hanging for the murder of his landlord, Gabriel Edward, a 23-year-old final-year civil engineering student of the University of Uyo. Posthumous results released after his death showed Edward graduated with a first-class degree. Justice Gabriel Ette delivered the judgement Thursday, finding Umoh guilty of stabbing Edward to death on December 21, 2020, at Ifa Ikot Ubo, Uyo. The court heard that tensions developed between the men over the missing belongings of Edward's late mother and rent money. On the day of the killing, witnesses saw Umoh enter the compound; neighbours later heard screams of "Jesus." Edward's decomposing body was discovered on December 26, wrapped in a mat with deep cuts, a butcher's knife beside him. In his ruling, Justice Ette declared: "Life is sacred, and those who claim to represent God on earth should teach that."
Key Points:
- The killing of a first-class student by a pastor entrusted to protect him shocks the conscience.
- It underscores the betrayal of trust within sacred spaces meant for worship.
- Edward's family loses a brilliant son, while justice delivers closure.
- This signals that religious leaders are not above the law.
- The timing, with posthumous first-class results, adds tragic irony.
Sources: Premium Times, State High Court, Uyo
