According to the gazelle news Nigeria, an Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo, the State capital has convicted Mrs. Abasieseabanga Godwin Ikoiwak, alongside her aged mother, and sister, as well as Dr Imoh Johnson and a Catholic Priest,Rev. Father Gabriel Ekong of St. Luke’s hospital, Anua, for the murder of late Godwin Ikoiwak, a lawyer in the employment of the State Ministry of Justice.
The State filed a case against Abasieseabanga Godwin Ikoiwak in 2022 for allegedly murdering her husband, the late Barr. Godwin Ikoiwak.
Charged along with her were her mother and sister. Others who were also charged are: Rev. Father Gabriel Ekong, Dr. Imoh Johnson and Dr Isaac Njoku, all of St Luke’s Hospital, Anua, Uyo, South-south Nigeria.
After post mortem examination by Dr. Emeka Nwafor – a Histo pathologist, the deceased Attorney was said to have died of poisoning from ingested Organophosphate (popularly referred to as Ota piapia in Nigeria’s local parlance) in the house of his mother- in-law (2nd Defendant) at Nung Udoe Itak on the outskirts of Uyo metropolis where he went on a visit.
The corpse was also reported to have unexplained physical injuries on the left eye socket, neck and wrist.
Rev. Father Mbeke, a popular Catholic priest in Nigeria, was said to have called another Catholic Priest, Rev. Father Gabriel Ekong, the Administrator of St. Luke’s hospital to receive the corpse.
Father Gabriel Ekong then instructed Dr. Imoh Johnson,a medical doctor employed by St. Luke’s Hospital, to open a file, issue a medical report and death certificate, which falsely claimed that the deceased was admitted and treated for asthma before he died at the hospital.
Evidence in court, however, showed that the wife and first Defendant Abasieseabanga, who was not present when the husband was murdered, had on the instruction of Rev. Father Mbeke sought the assistance of Rev. Father Gabriel Ekong, the administrator of the hospital, to cover up the fact that the husband died at her mother’s house at Nung Udoe Itak.
According to the court, her explanation was to forestall problems with the husband’s family with whom she said she had a very frosty relationship.
The trial Judge, Justice Bassey Nkanang after reviewing the history of the case, evidence of witnesses, exhibits, submissions of the Prosecution and the Defence, in a detailed judgement which lasted for two hours forty minutes, dealt with the issues for determination which mainly centred on whether the prosecution had proven its case beyond all reasonable doubt as canvassed by the defense counsel, and the insistence by the prosecution that it had proven its case beyond all reasonable doubt.
It was a case of win some and lose some as the judge convicted five of the six Defendants while the 6th Defendant,Dr. Isaac Njoku was discharged and acquitted on the two count charges of accessory after the fact and conspiracy preferred against him.
The first Defendant, Mrs. Abasieseabanga Godwin Ikoiwak,wife of the deceased, second Defendant who is the mother-in-law and the third Defendant, the sister-in-law, were charged on Count 1- Conspiracy to murder, punishable under Section 331 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Akwa Ibom State, 2000.
They were also charged on Count 2: Murder punishable under Section 326 Sub 1 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Volume 2, Laws of Akwa Ibom State, 2000, and Count 3 – Accessory after the fact of murder punishable under Section 558 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Volume 2, Laws of Akwa Ibom State, 2000.
Dr. Imoh Johnson And Rev. Father Gabriel Ekong Of St. Luke’s hospital, Annua, were charged on a two- count charge of Conspiracy to Commit Unlawful Purpose in count 1V, punishable under Section 556(1)(f) of the Criminal Code Cap 38, Volume 2, Laws of Akwa Ibom State, 2000;and (Count 5) Issuance of False Certificate by Public Officer punishable under Section 109 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38 Volume 2, Laws of Akwa Ibom State, 2000.
While Abasieseabanga was convicted on the charge of Conspiracy and sentenced to two years in prison, commencing from February 18, 2022, she was acquitted on the charge of murder.
Her mother and her sister, Mrs. Margaret Patrick Umoh and Owoidoho Patrick Umoh, respectively, were convicted for Murder and Conspiracy; and sentenced to 10 years each.
The judge pointed out that the second and third Defendants were caught in the web of “Doctrine of Last Seen”, being the people who were present last with the deceased shortly before his death.
On the call log analysis by the Department of State Service (DSS), which pointed to a flurry of conversation back and forth between Abasieseabanga, the wife of the deceased, Rev. Father Mbeke, Rev. Father Gabriel Ekong, and her sisters within the very period prior to and shortly after the death of the late lawyer, the judge held that there was no evidence to show that their conversations had to do with the deceased, and that their conversations may have been about any other thing.
Interestingly, the judge pointed to the fact that Rev. Father Mbeke’s call to the Administrator of St Luke’s hospital happened on the 19th day of February while the deceased died the following day, the 20th.
However, Justice Nkanang said that their reduced sentences were because they were first offenders, and according to his Lordship, due to current de-emphasis on capital punishment by State laws.
He also said that his decision was also informed by age and state of health of the second Defendant, and the fact that the third Defendant had a few days old baby at the time of the incident.
Speaking after the Judgement, Counsel to 4th defendant Effiong Abia told journalists that he intended to appeal the judgment, which convicted his client, Dr. Imoh Johnson and sentenced him to two years in prison for issuing false document as a public officer, insisting that the judge ought to have looked into whether his client had prior knowledge that the information on which he issued the documents were false.
Also, the family of the late Barr. Godwin Ikoiwak has expressed displeasure over the judgement, insisting the result of the legal tussle was not their expected outcome.
Speaking on behalf of the family, a friend to the deceased, Mr. Sunny Anyanwu, who the late Barr. Godwin Ikoiwak had called to inform that he was going to the wife’s village in Ikono to report the paternity issue of his children, whose telephone conversation was admitted as Exhibit, said the judgment was not what they expected.
He insisted that the judgment raised more questions than answers and queried why Rev. Father Mbeke who was at the centre of arranging the admission of the corpse at the medical facility as if it was alive, including the falsification of documents by authorities of the hospital, was not arrested and charged.
He also wondered if murderers must murder another person to pass the threshold of “first offenders” before the law takes its course.
A total of 18 witnesses were called throughout the entire proceeding.
The prosecution called twelve, while the defence called 6 witnesses. 51 Exhibits were identified, tendered and admitted.
Akwa Ibom State has served a Notice of Appeal on the matter
