Justice may have finally come for a slain lawyer in Akwa Ibom State, as court jails wife, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, medical doctor and a catholic reverend father for several crimes against humanity
By Chinedu Oguh, Port Harcourt
At last, the soul of Barrister Godwin Ikoiwak, who was murdered in cold blood can now rest in perfect peace as an Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo, the state capital has convicted his wife, Mrs. Abasieseabanga Godwin Ikoiwak, alongside her aged mother and sister, as well as Dr. Imoh Johnson and a Catholic Priest, Reverend Father Gabriel Ekong of St. Luke’s Hospital Anua for their role in Ikoiwak’s killing.
Tentacle gathered that the state filed a case against Mrs. Ikoiwak in 2022 for allegedly murdering her husband, the late Barr. Godwin Ikoiwak, a lawyer with the State Ministry of Justice charged along with her was her mother and sister.
Others who were also charged are Rev. Father Gabriel Ekong, Dr. Imoh Johnson, Dr. Isaac Njoku, all of St. Luke’s Hospital Anua Uyo.
The court, presided over by Justice Bassey Nkang, found Mrs. 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 and sentenced them to 10 years in prison each. The judge also held that they fell within the doctrine of “last seen”, having been the last known persons with the deceased as of the time he died.
After post mortem examination by Dr. Emeka Nwafor, a Histopathologist, the deceased was said to have died of poisoning from ingested organophosphate (popularly referred to as Ota Piapia) in the house of his mother in-law (2nd defendant) at Nung Udoe Itak on the outskirts of Uyo metropolis where he went on a visit. The corpse was also reported to have unexplained physical injuries on the left eye socket, neck and wrist.
The case took a complex turn after it was revealed that the deceased body was falsely presented to St. Luke’s Hospital Anua, as if he had died there from asthma attack. The hospital’s administrator Rev. Fr. Gabriel Ekong allegedly arranged this after a popular Catholic Priest in Nigeria was said to have called Rev. Father Gabriel Ekong, the Administrator of St. Luke’s Hospital to receive the corpse. Ekong then instructed Dr. Imoh Johnson to open a file, issue a medical report and death certificate, which falsely claimed that the deceased was admitted and treated for asthma before he died at the hospital.
Evidence in Court showed that the wife and first Defendant, Abasieseabanga, who was not present when the husband was murdered, had on the instruction of Rev. Father Mbeke sought the assistance of Rev. Fr. Gabriel Ekong, the Administrator of the Hospital to cover up the fact that the husband died in the mother’s house at Nung Udoe Itak.
The court affirmed that her explanation was to forestall problem with the husband’s family whom she said she had a very frosty relationship.
The trial Judge, Justice Bassey Nkanang after reviewing the history of the case, evidence of witnesses, exhibits, submissions of the Prosecution and defense, in a detailed judgment which lasted for two hours forty minutes dealt with the issue for determination which mainly centred on whether the prosecution has proven its case beyond reasonable doubt as canvassed by the defence and the insistence by the prosecution that it has proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.
It was a case of winsome and lost some as the judge convicted five of the six defendants while the 6th defendant, Dr. Isaac Njoku was discharged and acquitted on the two count charges of accessory after the fact and conspiracy preferred against him.
The first Defendant, Mrs. Abasieseabanga Godwin Ikoiwak, the wife of the deceased, the second defendant, the mother-in-law and third defendant, the sister-in-law were charged on count 1 – conspiracy to murder, punishable under section 331 of criminal code, laws of Akwa Ibon State 2000.
They were also charged on count 2, murder punishable section 326 sub-section 1 of the criminal code, cap 2000 and count 3 – accessory after the fact of murder punishable under section 558 of the criminal code, cap 38, volume 2, laws of Akwa Ibom State, 2000.
Johnson and Ekong of St. Luke’s Hospital Anua were charged on the count of conspiracy to commit unlawful purpose in count iv, punishable under section 556 (1) (f) of criminal code, cap 38, volume 2 laws of Akwa Ibom State, 2000. And (count 5) issuance of false certificate of public offices punishable under section 109 of the criminal code, cap 38 volume 2, laws of Akwa Ibom State, 2000.
While Abasieseabanga was convicted on the charge of conspiracy and sentenced to two years in prison commencing from February 18, 2022, she was acquitted on the murder charge.
The mother and sister, Mrs. Margaret Patrick Imoh and Owoioho Patrick Imoh were convicted for murder and conspiracy and sentenced to 10 years each. The judge pointed out that the second and third defendants were caught in the web of “doctrine of last seen” being the people who were present last with the deceased shortly before his death.
However, Justice Nkanag said their reduced sentenced is because they were first offenders and according to his Lordship, current de-emphasis on capital punishment by state law. He also said that his decision is also informed by age and state of health of the second defendant and the fact that the third defendant has a few days old baby at the time of the incident.
Meanwhile, family members and acquaintances of the late barrister have expressed dismay over the judgment. They lamented that maximum punishment were not meted on the offenders as only two and 10 years confinements were given to persons established by the court to have been involved in murder and accessory murder.
A friend to the deceased, Mr. Sunny Anyanwu, told Tentacle that the late lawyer called him and informed him that he was going to his wife village in Ikuno to report the paternity issue of his children and that the telephone conversation was admitted as exhibit.
He expressed his anger and said that was not the judgment they expected. He wondered if murderers must murder another person to pass threshold of “first offenders” before the law takes its course.
