Church Usher Sentenced To Death For Killing Girlfriend In Uyo

A High Court in Uyo has sentenced a church usher to death after convicting him of murdering his girlfriend and stealing her mobile phone.

The court found 33-year-old Ndifreke Isaiah Nelson guilty of the killing of Emem Monday Effanga in February 2025.

According to court proceedings, Nelson visited Ms Effanga at her home on Aka Road in Uyo on his birthday to use her phone to upload photographs to social media.

Prosecutors said an argument later broke out between the pair over the phone. The court heard that Ms Effanga was assaulted and strangled during the confrontation.

Investigators said Nelson fled with the victim’s phone after the incident. He was later arrested during an overnight church programme on Nsikak Eduok Avenue, two days after the killing.

During the trial at the Akwa Ibom State High Court, the prosecution told the court that the defendant confessed while in custody.

In his ruling, Justice Ekpo Ntekim sentenced Nelson to death by hanging or lethal injection for murder.

The judge said the punishment for theft was covered by the murder conviction.

Nelson was represented by a Lagos-based lawyer who appeared in the case without charge.

According to local reports, the case drew attention in the state because the convict served as an usher in a church in Uyo.