An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has convicted Mrs. Abasieseabanga Godwin Ikoiwak, her mother, sister, a Catholic priest, and a doctor in connection with the murder of her husband, Barrister Godwin Ikoiwak, a lawyer with the State Ministry of Justice.
The State had, in 2022, charged Abasieseabanga and her relatives — Mrs. Margaret Patrick Umoh (mother) and Miss Owoidoho Patrick Umoh (sister) — alongside Rev. Father Gabriel Ekong and Dr. Imoh Johnson, both of St. Luke’s Hospital, Anua. A sixth defendant, Dr. Isaac Njoku, was discharged and acquitted.
According to the prosecution, the late Barr. Ikoiwak died from ingesting organophosphate poison (commonly called “Ota piapia”) while visiting his mother-in-law at Nung Udoe Itak on the outskirts of Uyo. A post-mortem conducted by Dr. Emeka Nwafor also revealed unexplained injuries on his eye socket, neck, and wrist.
The court heard that Rev. Father Mbeke, a popular Catholic priest, had contacted Rev. Father Gabriel Ekong, Administrator of St. Luke’s Hospital, to help cover up the actual place and circumstances of death. Father Ekong, in turn, instructed Dr. Imoh Johnson to falsely document that the deceased was treated for asthma at the hospital before his death. This false report was used to secure a fraudulent death certificate.
Justice Bassey Nkanang, in a judgment that lasted two hours and forty minutes, ruled that while Abasieseabanga was not present at the scene of her husband’s death, she conspired to conceal the true cause and location of his death. She was convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment starting from February 18, 2022, but acquitted of murder.
Her mother and sister were found guilty of conspiracy and murder, based on the “doctrine of last seen,” having been the last people seen with the deceased. They were each sentenced to 10 years in prison. The judge noted their status as first offenders, the second defendant’s age and health condition, and the third defendant’s postpartum status as reasons for the relatively mild sentences.
Dr. Imoh Johnson and Rev. Father Gabriel Ekong were both convicted of conspiracy and issuance of false medical documents. Johnson was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. However, the sixth defendant, Dr. Isaac Njoku, was discharged and acquitted.
The court dismissed call log analysis submitted by the Department of State Services (DSS), which indicated extensive communication among the wife, her family members, and the clergy, stating that there was no direct link between those calls and the crime.
Reacting to the judgment, Effiong Abia, counsel to Dr. Johnson, said his client would appeal, arguing that the court failed to determine whether the doctor knowingly falsified the documents.
The family of the deceased expressed disappointment. Mr. Sunny Anyawu, a friend of the late lawyer, questioned why Rev. Father Mbeke, who played a key role in the concealment of the body’s origin, was neither arrested nor charged. He criticized the judge’s leniency towards the convicts on the basis of being “first offenders.”
Throughout the trial, the prosecution called 12 witnesses, the defense called six, and a total of 51 exhibits were tendered. The State has already filed a notice of appeal.