A High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has convicted five individuals — including the wife, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law of the late Godwin Ikoiwak Esq — in connection with his murder. Others convicted are a Catholic priest, Rev. Father Gabriel Ekong, and a medical doctor, Dr. Imoh Johnson, both of St. Luke’s Hospital, Anua, Uyo.
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The court, presided over by Justice Bassey Nkanang, found Mrs. Abasieseabanga Godwin Ikoiwak, the deceased’s wife, guilty of conspiracy and sentenced her to two years in prison beginning from February 18, 2022. She was, however, acquitted of the murder charge.
Her mother, Mrs. Margaret Patrick Umoh, and sister, Owoidoho Patrick Umoh, were both convicted for conspiracy and murder. The court sentenced them to 10 years in prison each. The Judge held that they fell within the doctrine of “last seen,” having been the last known persons with the deceased at the time he died.
The trial followed the mysterious death of Barrister Ikoiwak, a lawyer with the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Justice, who was said to have died on February 20, 2022, after ingesting a poisonous substance identified as organophosphate (commonly known as Ota piapia), during a visit to his in-laws’ residence in Nung Udoe Itak.
A post-mortem report by Dr. Emeka Nwafor, a histopathologist, confirmed poisoning as the cause of death, along with unexplained injuries to the victim’s eye socket, neck, and wrist.
The case took a complex turn after it was revealed that the deceased’s body was falsely presented to St. Luke’s Hospital, Anua, as if he had died there from an asthma attack. The hospital’s administrator, Rev. Fr. Gabriel Ekong, allegedly arranged this after being contacted by another Catholic cleric, Rev. Father Mbeke, a close associate of the wife.
Dr. Imoh Johnson, under Fr. Ekong’s instruction, opened a hospital file and issued a fake death certificate claiming that Ikoiwak died in the hospital. Both were convicted for conspiracy and for issuing false medical records and sentenced to two years imprisonment each.
However, a sixth defendant, Dr. Isaac Njoku, was discharged and acquitted on the charges of conspiracy and accessory after the fact.
Justice Nkanang stated that reduced sentences were considered due to mitigating factors, including the health and age of the mother-in-law and the fact that the third defendant had a newborn at the time of the crime. The court also acknowledged the state’s current trend away from capital punishment.
Throughout the proceedings, 18 witnesses testified — 12 for the prosecution and 6 for the defence — while 51 exhibits were admitted by the court.
Speaking after the verdict, Effiong Abia, counsel to Dr. Imoh Johnson, said he would appeal the decision, arguing that the court failed to consider whether his client had knowledge of the false information at the time he issued the medical report.
Meanwhile, the family of the late lawyer expressed disappointment with the judgment. A friend of the deceased, Mr. Sunny Anyanwu, said the judgment left many questions unanswered, particularly the exclusion of Rev. Father Mbeke from the charge sheet despite his key role in orchestrating the cover-up.
He recalled a phone conversation with Ikoiwak — admitted as an exhibit in court — in which the deceased said he was heading to his wife’s village in Ikono to report a paternity dispute involving his children. Anyanwu queried how leniency could be granted based on a “first offender” status in a murder case.
The Akwa Ibom State government has already filed a notice of appeal, seeking a review of the judgment.
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