A High Court in Rivers State has sentenced Damian Okoligwe, a 26-year-old final-year Petrochemical Engineering student at the University of Port Harcourt, to death by hanging after finding him guilty of murdering his girlfriend, Justina Otuene, a 300-level Biochemistry student at the same university.
Justice Chiwen Nsirim Nwosu delivered the ruling in Port Harcourt on Friday, concluding that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and established that Justina died as a direct result of Okoligwe’s actions.
Okay News reports that the conviction brings to a close a case that shocked communities across Rivers State and Nigeria’s university sector.
Okoligwe was arrested in October 2023 after neighbours reported a foul odour coming from his room in Ozuoba.
Police officers from the Ozuoba Division forced the door open and discovered Justina’s dismembered remains hidden inside a Ghana-must-go bag. Initial reports suggested the killing may have been connected to ritual practices.
In 2023, while paraded at the Rivers State Police Command, Okoligwe denied murdering Justina. He claimed he had been ill when she visited, and alleged she died while he was unconscious. He further stated he left the house to seek treatment from his brother and returned days later to dispose of her body, insisting he did not remove any organs.
The Rivers State Government took over the case in May 2024, after Chief Magistrate Nnenda Onugbum ordered that the file be transferred to the Department of Public Prosecutions.
Following Friday’s judgment, prosecuting counsel Charles Obediah-Mbaba praised the court for what he described as a clear and courageous ruling. “Justice has not only been done, but seen and felt to be done, in respect to the gruesome murder of Justina Otuene,” he said.
He added that Justina, the only daughter of her parents, “was gruesomely murdered… in circumstances suggestive of ritual intention,” and expressed hope that the verdict would deter young people from seeking “short cuts” to wealth.
Justina’s elder brother, Osat-Awaji Otuene, said the judgment brought a measure of relief. “It was a very detailed judgement, very well structured. I really want to commend the judge… It’s a relief, and it’s certain that my sister didn’t just die for nothing,” he told journalists.
The defence lawyer declined to comment following the ruling.
