A Bayelsa State High Court has sentenced 28-year-old Joseph Fekala to death by hanging for the murder of his girlfriend, 25-year-old Kate Oguoh.
Fekala was arrested in July 2022 after allegedly strangling Kate to death during an argument over ₦50,000 she had given him. He later buried her body in his apartment at Okaka, Yenagoa, the state capital.
After a trial that lasted three years, Justice Ineikade Eradiri found the defendant guilty on three of the four charges brought against him — murder, improper handling of a corpse, and unlawful burial — but acquitted him of stealing.
During judgment, which lasted three hours, Justice Eradiri dismissed the defence’s arguments of insanity, provocation, and self-defence. The judge noted that the defendant failed to prove his claim of insanity, as his witnesses could not convince the court that his actions were influenced by mental instability.
Justice Eradiri further emphasized that exhibits tendered by the defence showed that Fekala was aware of his actions at the time of the crime. He also rejected a plea from defence counsel for the offence to be reduced to manslaughter, ruling that the charge of murder could not be substituted.
“The plea for a lesser offence cannot be sustained. After reviewing all evidence before the court, I find no grounds to convict the defendant for manslaughter. I therefore find him guilty of counts 1, 2, and 3,” Justice Eradiri declared.
The judge concluded that the prosecution had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. When asked to speak before sentencing, Fekala knelt in the dock and pleaded for mercy, describing himself as a Christian and a peace-loving person who had never intended to harm anyone. He begged the court and the victim’s family for forgiveness.
Before pronouncing the sentence, Justice Eradiri noted that the law left him with no discretion in cases of murder. “For murder, I have no discretion. The punishment under Section 247 of the Criminal Code of Bayelsa State is death. I hereby sentence you to death by hanging. May God have mercy on your soul,” he declared.
The parents of the deceased, Mr. and Mrs. Theophilus Oguoh, expressed satisfaction with the judgment and praised the judiciary for ensuring justice was served.
