A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has convicted Damian Okoligwe, a 400-level Petrochemical Engineering student at the University of Port Harcourt, and sentenced him to d3ath by hanging for the murder of his girlfriend, Justina Otuene, a 300-level Biochemistry student at the same university.
Okoligwe, now 26, was found guilty of k!lling Justina in October 2023 at his residence.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Chiwen Nsirim Nwosu held that the prosecution, led by Charles Obediah-Mbaba, proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and established that Okoligwe committed the crime.
The court further ruled that Justinaās d3ath resulted directly from his actions.
Okoligwe was arrested in 2023 after neighbours raised the alarm over his attempt to dispose of Justinaās body, which he allegedly k!lled for money ritual purposes.
A neighbour had earlier reported a foul odour emanating from his room to the Ozuoba Police Division. Responding officers forced the door open and discovered a Ghana-must-go bag containing Justina Otueneās dismembered body.
The murder trial commenced in May 2024, two months after the Rivers State Government took over the case. It had initially been before a Magistrate Court in Port Harcourt, but in November 2023, Chief Magistrate Nnenda Obiageri Onugbum ordered that the case file be transferred to the Department of Public Prosecution, DPP, for legal advice.
During an interview with journalists in 2023 at the Rivers State Police Command Headquarters in Port Harcourt, Okoligwe denied the allegations. He claimed he had been ill when Justina visited and said he found her lifeless when he woke up. Okoligwe further alleged that he went to his brotherās house for treatment and returned three days later to dispose of her body. He also denied removing any organs, insisting her remains were intact.
Speaking after the judgment, prosecuting counsel Obediah Charles Mbaba praised the court for ensuring justice, saying,
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