Church usher sentenced to d3ath for m8rder of girlfriend in Akwa Ibom

A High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has sentenced a 33-year-old man, Ndifreke Isaiah Nelson, to d3ath for the m8rder of his girlfriend, Emem Monday Effanga.

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Nelson was convicted and sentenced on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 after he was found guilty on a two-count charge of m8rder and stealing.

Nelson, an usher in one of the new generation churches in Uyo, k!lled Effanga, a makeup artist, and stole her phone. Read HERE HERE HERE

The incident occurred at about 7am on February 6, 2025, which was the convict’s birthday.

Nelson, who resided at Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo, visited his girlfriend at her residence located at No. 102, Aka Road, opposite NEPA Line, Uyo, to use her phone to post his birthday pictures on social media.

He, however, ended up struggling with her over the phone, slammed her head against the wall and strangled her to d3ath.

After committing the offence, Nelson fled with the deceased’s phone.

On February 8, 2025, he was tracked to the church located on Nsikak Eduok Avenue, Uyo, during a tarry programme at about 2am.

During interrogation, he confessed to the crime.

Trial Judge, Hon. Justice Ekpo Ntekim, found Nelson guilty and sentenced him to d3ath by hanging or lethal injection for m8rder.

The judge held that the punishment for stealing was subsumed under the sentence for m8rder.

Nelson was represented pro bono by a legal luminary from Lagos.