UYO, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria — On Thursday, February 19, 2026, a State High Court sitting in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State in southern Nigeria, sentenced a 29-year-old pastor, Emmanuel Umoh, to death by hanging for the murder of his landlord, 23-year-old Gabriel Edward.
The judgement was delivered by Justice Gabriel Ette of the Akwa Ibom State High Court after the court found Mr Umoh guilty of killing Mr Edward on Monday, December 21, 2020, at Ifa Ikot Ubo–Ifa Ikot Okpon, a community within Uyo.
Mr Umoh was the resident pastor of the Ifa Ikot Ubo–Ifa Ikot Okpon branch of Living Faith Church, also known globally as Winners Chapel, a large Pentecostal Christian denomination headquartered in Nigeria. The victim, Mr Edward, was a final-year civil engineering student at the University of Uyo, a public university located in Akwa Ibom State. Results released after his death showed that he graduated with a first-class degree.
Okay News reports that the killing stemmed from a dispute between the two men, who lived within the same compound owned by the victim’s late mother.
Before her death in December 2019, Mr Edward’s mother had established a nursery school within the family compound. A hall built for the school was later rented to Living Faith Church for worship at an annual rent of ₦150,000 (about $100). The agreement was made with the approval of Mr Edward’s father, Emana Edward, a retired secondary school principal. The church reportedly began using the hall before completing full payment, and Mr Umoh was later posted there as the pioneer resident pastor.
Mr Edward moved into a two-bedroom flat within the compound to safeguard his late mother’s property and stay closer to his university. He lived there with his younger brother. At the pastor’s request, some church property was stored in the flat for security reasons. Acting on his father’s instruction, Mr Edward handed over a spare key to Mr Umoh to allow easier access.
Evidence before the court showed that items belonging to the deceased’s late mother began to go missing soon after. When confronted, the pastor reportedly claimed he had misplaced the key. The locks were eventually changed after the church’s senior pastor provided funds for new ones, and the reported theft stopped.
Tension later arose between the two men over rent money that was meant to be used for repairs within the compound.
On Monday, December 21, 2020, witnesses saw Mr Umoh enter the premises. Neighbours later reported hearing loud cries of “Jesus” from inside the compound. Shortly afterward, Mr Umoh was seen leaving the building wearing a white garment stained with blood. He claimed he had fallen while attempting to hang a banner.
Mr Edward was not seen alive again.
On Saturday, December 26, 2020, his decomposing body was discovered inside his room. It had been wrapped in a mat and bore deep cuts. A butcher’s knife was found beside the body. Investigators established that Mr Umoh was the last person seen with the deceased and that he could not provide a credible explanation for the bloodstains on his clothing. He was subsequently arrested and charged with murder.
The defendant was formally arraigned on Monday, December 6, 2021, and pleaded not guilty. During the trial, the prosecution presented six witnesses, including the victim’s father, who detailed the sequence of events leading up to the killing.
In a judgement that lasted more than two hours, Justice Ette described the case as “very sympathetic” and reflected on the efforts of the victim’s late mother to secure a better future for her children. The court ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Delivering his sentence, the judge stressed the moral weight of the crime, particularly given the defendant’s role as a religious leader.
“Life is sacred, and those who represent God on earth should teach that.
“It is an irony and quite appalling when a man, who claims to be the representative of the divine on earth, stoops so low as to take someone’s life in the premises of the church.
“He heard the deceased scream, ‘Jesus! Yet the defendant inflicted the second cut and many more.
“Today is judgement day on earth. I think men like him are not to be allowed a space in a free society.
“Having found you guilty as charged, I hereby sentence you to death by hanging.”
Speaking shortly after the verdict, the prosecution counsel, Iniobong Essang, described the case as deeply emotional and said justice had prevailed.
“Today is quite emotional for me. Some cases inevitably find their way into our hearts,” the prosecution said, praising the judge’s “well-considered judgement” and noting that justice, though delayed, was not denied.
The prosecution added that the judgement offered some measure of comfort to the victim’s family and prayed for the repose of Mr Edward’s soul.
Court proceedings also heard that a day before the killing, Mr Edward had reportedly told relatives that he had recovered many of his previously missing belongings. Less than 24 hours later, he was dead.
For the family, the ruling closes a long legal battle that began in 2020. However, the loss of a promising young graduate whose academic excellence was confirmed only after his death remains a profound and permanent tragedy.
