₦airaland Forum

A dismissed soldier, Corporal Stephen Iweh of the Nigerian Army’s 6 Battalion, Ibagwa, Abak Local Government Area, has been sentenced to death by hanging by an Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo, News360 Nigeria reports.

Justice Bassey Nkanang, who delivered the ruling, held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Iweh murdered 42-year-old Christopher Enobong Jimmy, a traveller who had offered him a ride from Onne, Rivers State, to Uyo.

News360 Nigeria learnt that Iweh, who was in military camouflage and armed with an AK-47 rifle, overpowered the deceased during the journey, shot him dead, and fled with his car.

Court records showed that the incident happened on May 23, 2021, along the East-West Road in Ikot Abasi.

Jimmy, a manager with a clearing and forwarding company in Port Harcourt, had innocently offered the soldier a lift from Trailer Park in Onne.

At Oboro Junction, Ikot Abasi, Iweh shot him before escaping with the vehicle and valuables.

Investigations later revealed that the convict, a father of three, had illegally kept the AK-47 rifle he picked up in Dambou, Borno State, in 2018, using it as his personal weapon.

On the day of the killing, he was supposed to be on duty at the Army Store in Abak but abandoned his post to commit the crime.

He was eventually traced to Andy Guest House in Ukanafun, where he was arrested and the rifle recovered.

Justice Nkanang convicted Iweh, a native of Ameke Nkor in Ngor Okpala LGA of Imo State, on a three-count charge.

He was sentenced to death by hanging for murder and armed robbery, and given 10 years’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of firearms.

The convict’s plea for leniency was dismissed, as the court insisted justice must be served.

nick50:
Wahala for who dey help uniform people..as for me I no fit lift ordinary police sef

TechCapon:
Yeah I remember this case omo human beings are wicked.
I'm sure he decided to give the soldier a lift not out of the kindness of his heart but to avoid the wahala of passing through the numerous police checkpoints. Why didn't he give any civilian a lift?
He decided to give a military man on uniform free ride to pass through police checkpoints without spending but he ended up losing his life. So he's not exactly the saint. It's for his mutual benefit

affable4:
That’s actually the mindset of an average security personnel, active or not. Armed robbers in plain sight.

He would have gotten away with this and celebrated a breakthrough. Going out with nothing and coming home with a car at the expense of another’s life.

I hope they leave him on death row for a long time before killing him. He will beg for death to come and it will delay small.