Yenagoa – A Bayelsa State High Court has sentenced 28-year-old Joseph Fekala to death by hanging for murdering his 25-year-old girlfriend, Kate Oguoh, over a financial dispute of N50,000.
Fekala was arrested in July 2022 after he allegedly killed Kate during an argument over money she had given him.
The incident occurred in Okaka, a community in Yenagoa, the state capital.
According to court records, Fekala buried the victim’s body inside his room before his arrest and subsequent prosecution.
After a three-year trial, Justice Ineikade Eradiri found Fekala guilty of murder, improper handling of a corpse, and burying a body in an unapproved location.
He was cleared of the charge of theft. The court also dismissed claims by the defence that Fekala was insane or acted in self-defence, ruling that the evidence indicated he was fully aware of his actions at the time of the crime.
The defence’s request to reduce the charge to manslaughter was rejected, with the judge stating that the law did not permit such a substitution based on the facts of the case.
Before the verdict, Fekala knelt in the dock, apologised to the deceased’s family, and pleaded for mercy, describing himself as a peace-loving individual.
Justice Eradiri said the law left him no option but to deliver the death sentence for murder.
The parents of the deceased, Mr. and Mrs. Theophilus Oguoh, expressed satisfaction with the ruling and commended the judiciary for ensuring justice was served.
