Man to die by hanging for stabbing woman to death

The Ebonyi State High Court in Abakaliki has sentenced a man, Lucky Godwin, to death by hanging for stabbing a woman to death inside a hotel room in Abakaliki.

The judge, Iheanchor Chima, delivered judgment on 30 September.

The convicted man had stolen a baby belonging to the deceased after stabbing her to death in 2018, and sold the two-year-old baby girl in River State.

He brought the deceased and her child from Enugu State and lodged them at the Crown Garden Hotel, Abakaliki.

The knife he used in killing the woman was provided by the hotel gateman, Monday Onwe.

Mr Onwe collected N30, 000 to assist Mr Godwin in the act, and then escaped from Abakaliki after the incident.

The victim’s decomposing body was found days after the murder.

Mr Godwin had attempted to murder another woman, a heavily pregnant Chisom Ugwu by stabbing her in a bush behind Girls’ High School, Azuiyikowu, in Abakaliki, two years ago. He also stole the woman’s two-year-old baby.

The woman was found while in a coma in the bush close to the Crown Garden Hotel, where he had stabbed the other woman to death.

Ms Ugwu, stabbed on her neck, abdomen and back, was bleeding profusely when the police rescued her and took her to hospital.

Principal State Counsel, Ijeoma Aja-Nwachukwu, hailed the judgment.

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“Like the court rightly said, an Eye for an Eye. According to the judgment by the court, he will be hanged to pay for his deeds. He needs to pay with his life as he has taken the life of that young woman.

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“The child of the deceased and that of Chisom Ugwu were recovered including the accused person’s son that he sold at Echie local government area of River state.

“The second defendant was set free as according to the law once there is an element of doubt it ends in favor of the defendant.

“Yes, Lucky said the second defendant (Monday Onwe) was the person that assisted him according to his statement to the police but in court he denied it, saying he was just seeing him for the first time. The incident happened in 2018 and we filled information in 2019, so the case lasted for 3 years.

“We need to be careful who we move with. Like this deceased woman, nobody could identify her, even the daughter that was recovered is still with the ministry of women affairs,” she stated.

Mr Godwin was defended by a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council, Marcel Akamaba.