Pastor Sentenced to Death by Hanging in A’Ibom Over Landlord’s Murder

By: Abudu Olalekan

A hush lay over the ground where people lived in Ifa Ikok Ubo. All normal, like any other day. Then – without warning – the air shifted.

Facing charges at a high court in Uyo, Emmanuel Umoh – pastor at Living Faith Church – received a hanging sentence after being found guilty of killing his landlord, Gabriel Bassey. Though he claimed innocence throughout the trial, evidence swayed the judge toward the harshest penalty under state law. The courtroom fell silent when the verdict was announced just before noon on Wednesday.

A hush filled the room. Justice Gabriel Ette spoke. Years of waiting ended in those moments. The air felt thick. Clear words cut through it. Heavy ones.

Guilty.

A 500-level Civil Engineering student at the University of Uyo became the subject of coverage by Reportersroom. Life had shifted when his mother died in 2019 – suddenly, duties grew heavier. School took up space each day, yet home still called. He carried both, one step at a time. Not long past fifty years on earth, but already deep into shaping what came next.

A house stood because of her. Inside it, all moments unfolded.

Inside the compound, a little nursery school took shape before she passed. Small in size. Full of quiet hope. Once gone, Gabriel settled there – keeping things safe, near the classroom too. Days went on. For some time, anyway.

A building stood within the enclosure, home to a stretched-out room first meant for students. That space changed hands, finding use by a church group paying one hundred fifty thousand naira each year. Worship began without full payment arriving. Faith moved fast among them.

Years after it opened, the church welcomed Umoh as its first minister.

Everything seemed fine at the start. Services ran like usual. Singing filled the rooms. Chairs scraped floors, guitars were carried in. Yet quiet strains started showing up.

On that note, the prosecutor said Umoh asked if he could store church belongings in Gabriel’s apartment – no doors or windows at the hall made it unsafe. Approval came from both the man himself and his dad, Emana Bassey, once head of a school down south.

Something felt off. A quiet doubt crept in.

Every time the pastor wanted those things, Gabriel was sent from school all the way back home. The trips added expense. Money spent was gone. Quiet irritation grew without a word.

A spare key found its way into the pastor’s hands, meant to simplify matters. What seemed small at the time grew heavier with days passing. Heavy enough to shift everything.

Soon enough, bits of Gabriel’s mom’s old stuff started vanishing – dishes, shirts, everyday objects around the house. Not a big scene. They were just gone.

The pastor replied that someone had misplaced the key when asked about it.

Someone told the head pastor about it. He gave five thousand naira so new locks could go on. Things vanished less once those were fixed. Peace came back, though only a little while.

That Friday evening in December, folks living nearby saw the preacher walk into the yard. A while after, shrieks broke through the quiet.

“Jesus!”

Folks couldn’t shake the feeling after that noise arrived out of nowhere.

Fresh off the scene, Umoh appeared in a blood-marked white outfit. Word spread that he’d tripped during a banner setup. Confusion rippled through the crowd, though the real story stayed hidden. Few suspected what actually went down.

Days passed.

After that day, nobody laid eyes on Gabriel once more.

After Christmas ended, on the twenty sixth, something felt wrong. A foul odor pulled people down the hall. Opening the door revealed what had happened inside. His body, curled in a mat, showed gashes carved into skin. Nearby rested a heavy knife used by someone who knew how to cut meat.

Shock. Silence. Fear.

Folks started pointing at the preacher, since he was spotted nearby just before things went quiet.

The court heard from six people who saw different things. Slowly, bits of proof came together – like puzzle parts forming a picture. Blood was found where it should not have been. Doors had been opened without permission. Moments lined up in an odd sequence.

Facing charges, Umoh denied wrongdoing – yet the judge found the proof too strong to ignore.

A ruling stretching beyond two hours came from Justice Ette, who called the situation heart-wrenching – the land was meant for learning and growth, created by the victim’s mother before she passed. Though long in delivery, every word carried weight.

A silence dropped when someone spoke up. The room turned cold.

Inside a place meant for prayer, it was a spiritual guide who ended someone’s life – this bitter twist did not escape the court. The courtroom absorbed the weight of that contradiction without needing loud words.

“Life is sacred,” he said firmly. “Those who claim to represent God must protect it.”

A decision came down saying the move broke faith with ordinary people, while putting communities at risk.

Out of nowhere, the last line came into being.

Death by hanging.