Justice Bassey Nkanang of High Court, Uyo has sentenced one Nkereuwem Emah, 52, to death by hanging for killing his pregnant wife.
Justice Nkanang while delivering judgement which lasted for more than 60 minutes, described the act as a “callous, inexplicable and inexcusable debasement of the marriage institution.”
Emah was sentenced Friday by the court, which found him guilty of murder.
“The accused person, Nkereuwem Etim Emah, is hereby sentenced to death. In compliance with the Section 339(2) of the Criminal Procedure Law, Cap 39, Laws of Akwa Ibom State, the sentence of the Court upon you, Nkereuwem Etim Emah is that you be hanged by the neck until you be dead and may the Lord have mercy on your soul”.
Both Emah and the late wife Mbiabam had five children together in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area.
Emah had accused his wife of infidelity and murdered her on February 12, 2018, while she was sleeping in their residence, in Mbiabam, Ibiono Ibom LGA.
However, when arraigned on 6 December 2018, the accused pleaded not guilty to the one count of murder, contrary to Section 326(1) of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Volume 2, Laws of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria, 2000
The judgment came after four years of litigation in which the prosecution called three witnesses, including a 10-year-old son of the deceased, Christian Sylvanus Etim, who narrated how his father committed the act against his mother.
Mr Etim said “On 12/2/2018, my father, (the accused person) is a mechanic with the Water Board. On the said date, he used a machete in the night. My mother was sleeping. He used it and cut my mother. My mother died. The incident took place in the house we all lived in. The village head called the Police in Itam. The Police came and invited me to accompany them to the station.”
The evidence of the son was corroborated by his father, the accused person ,who had earlier confessed to the police when he was arrested after the incident.
“On 12/2/2018 at about 4:30 am, I called my wife to ask her about how she came about the pregnancy and who is responsible for it. She refused to answer me and I became annoyed.
“I took the big machete and cut her right hand. She moved to run away, I cut her neck again and she fell down. I was informed by people around our house that one Michael Udoh always sleeps with her anytime I left the house for work,” Emah said in his extrajudicial statement which is an exhibit before the Court.
Earlier, the accused person had pleaded with the Court to temper justice with mercy and give him another chance to go home and take care of his five children.
