Court sentences Winners Chapel pastor to death for murder of tenant

A State High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has handed down a death sentence by hanging to 29-year-old Emmanuel Umoh, a resident pastor at Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel), Ifa Ikot Ubo–Ifa Ikot Okpon branch, after he was found guilty of murdering his landlord, Gabriel Edward.

Edward, 23, was in his final year studying civil engineering at the University of Uyo. Posthumous results revealed he had graduated with a first-class degree.

Justice Gabriel Ette delivered the verdict on Thursday, confirming that Umoh fatally stabbed Edward on 21 December 2020 at Ifa Ikot Ubo, Uyo.

The deceased had moved into his late mother’s property both to preserve the family estate and to be closer to his university. His mother, before her passing in December 2019, had established a nursery school on the compound.

The school hall was later leased to Living Faith Church for annual worship at N150,000, with his father, Emana Edward, a retired principal, approving the arrangement.

The church began occupying the hall before completing payment, and Emmanuel Umoh was assigned as the pioneer resident pastor, a judiciary reporter in Uyo, Harrison Essien, noted on Facebook.

Edward shared a two-bedroom flat on the compound with his younger brother. Church items were kept in the flat at the pastor’s request for security purposes. To facilitate access, Edward, under his father’s instruction, gave Umoh a spare key.

Reports indicated that belongings of Edward’s late mother started disappearing. When confronted, Umoh claimed he had lost the key.

Locks were eventually replaced with funds from the church’s senior pastor, after which the theft reportedly ceased. Tension later arose between the landlord and the pastor over repair-related rent payments.

On 21 December 2020, witnesses observed Umoh enter the compound. Neighbors reportedly heard loud cries of “Jesus” from inside.

Moments later, the pastor emerged in a blood-stained white garment, claiming he had fallen while hanging a banner. Edward was never seen alive again.

His decomposed body was discovered on 26 December, wrapped in a mat with deep cuts, a butcher’s knife lying beside him. Umoh, being the last person seen with Edward and unable to explain the blood, was arrested and charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on 6 December 2021.

The prosecution presented six witnesses, including the victim’s father, recounting the events leading to the tragic killing.

In a ruling lasting over two hours, Justice Ette described the case as “very sympathetic,” recalling the late mother’s efforts to secure a future for her children.

He declared that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and expressed the shock that a religious leader could commit murder on church grounds.

“Life is sacred, and those who represent God on earth should teach that.

“It is an irony and quite appalling when a man, who claims to be the representative of the divine on earth, stoops so low as to take someone’s life in the premises of the church.

“He heard the deceased scream, ‘Jesus!’ Yet the defendant inflicted the second cut and many more.

“Today is judgement day on earth. I think men like him are not to be allowed a space in a free society.

“Having found you guilty as charged, I hereby sentence you to death by hanging.”

After the verdict, prosecution counsel Iniobong Essang described the proceedings as deeply emotional and said justice had been served.

“Today is quite emotional for me. Some cases inevitably find their way into our hearts,” Essang said, commending the judge’s “well-considered judgement” and emphasizing that, although delayed, justice was not denied.

He added that the ruling brought some solace to the Edward family and prayed for the repose of Gabriel Edward’s soul.

According to PREMIUM TIMES, Edward had reportedly informed relatives a day before the killing that he had recovered many of his missing belongings. Less than 24 hours later, he was murdered by the pastor.

For the family, the court’s ruling marks an end to a painful ordeal, yet the loss of a young first-class graduate at the peak of his potential remains an irreplaceable wound.