A Bayelsa State High Court has sentenced a 28-year-old man, Joseph Fekala, to death by hanging for the murder of a 25-year-old woman, Kate Oguoh, in Yenagoa.
Delivering judgment after a protracted trial that lasted about three years, Justice Ineikade Eradiri found Fekala guilty of the offence and rejected the defence’s plea of insanity as well as its request for a lesser sentence.
Kate Oguoh was killed in July 2022 following a disagreement over a sum of N50,000 she had reportedly sent to Fekala for forex trading. The dispute escalated, leading to her being strangled and buried in Fekala’s apartment at Okaka community in Yenagoa Local Government Area.
The prosecution established before the court that the deceased, a clothes vendor and indigene of Sagbama Local Government Area, had left her family home after a minor misunderstanding and went to visit her friend, who is the younger sister of the convict. She later went missing. Neighbours were said to have overheard arguments between the deceased and the suspect over an unpaid debt before her disappearance.
Investigations revealed that Fekala, who was described by the police as a youth pastor in charge of the Sunday school section of a church, killed the victim and buried her in a shallow grave inside his residence. Police also clarified that the suspect was not involved in internet fraud, contrary to earlier speculation. The decomposing body of the deceased was later exhumed from the apartment, wrapped in a black polythene bag, with visible injuries on her head.
In his over three-hour judgment, Justice Eradiri held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and consequently sentenced the convict to death by hanging.
Members of the deceased’s family welcomed the verdict, describing it as justice served.
However, immediately after the ruling, defence counsel, Deinmobowei Abila, made an oral application, notifying the court of his intention to appeal the judgment at a higher court.
Speaking earlier during the investigation, the father of the deceased, Sir Dick Oguoh, said the family became worried when attempts to reach his daughter on her mobile phone failed.
He explained that when they visited the suspect’s residence, he initially denied seeing her, prompting them to report the matter to the police.
He added that it was while preparing to make a formal complaint that the family was informed that the suspect had confessed to killing and burying his daughter.