Mother of Four Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Attempted Murder of 12-Year-Old Girl in Akwa Ibom
The Akwa Ibom State High Court, sitting in Essien Udim Local Government Area, has sentenced a 36-year-old hairdresser and mother of four, Uwakmfon Isaac Jonah, to life imprisonment for the attempted murder of a 12-year-old girl.
Justice Winifred Effiong delivered the judgment on Thursday, convicting Jonah on a one-count charge of attempted murder contrary to Section 276 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38 Vol. 2, Laws of Akwa Ibom State, 2022.
The court heard that the victim, a young pepper hawker, was lured from Urua Akpan market by Jonah under the false pretext that an elderly customer wanted to buy her pepper but could not walk to the market. The convict, a divorcee from Ikot Obong in Afaha Clan, Essien Udim, allegedly led the child into a nearby bush.
In her testimony, the girl recounted the terrifying ordeal:
“I followed the lady because she put on a nice dress. Reaching the road to the bush, I told her that the road is too far... At that juncture, the lady held me and I ran from the bush. The lady ran after me and I fell inside the bush and the lady held my cloth and tied it around my mouth... She brought a knife from the bag and cut my left eye brow and my right side of my neck and the lady ran away.”
The child sustained deep cuts to her neck and injuries to her eye. She was later treated at Saint Mary’s Hospital, Urua Akpan, where she immediately identified her attacker.
Jonah was arraigned on August 12, 2024, and pleaded not guilty. During the trial, the prosecution presented three witnesses and tendered the statements of both the defendant and the victim as exhibits.
In her defence, Jonah admitted approaching the girl in the market and taking her into the bush but denied attacking her. She claimed she handed the child over to another woman who was cultivating waterleaf nearby. Justice Effiong dismissed this defence as “unsubstantiated and unbelievable,” noting that the defendant failed to provide any identity, address, or description of the alleged third party.
In a well-reasoned judgment, Justice Effiong held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The court highlighted several corroborating circumstances, including the victim’s credible testimony, the nature of the injuries, Jonah’s own admission that she took the child into the bush, and the immediate identification by the victim.
“The defendant lured a vulnerable child away from the safety of a public market and into a secluded bush,” the judge said. “The neck is one of the most vital and vulnerable parts of the human body. A person who deliberately inflicts a deep cut on the neck of a helpless child must be presumed to intend the natural and probable consequences of such an act. The fact that the child survived does not negate the intention.”
Justice Effiong emphasised that the evidence was direct and substantially corroborated, describing the defendant’s attempt to shift blame as incapable of creating reasonable doubt.
After conviction, defence counsel pleaded for mercy and a second chance for the convict. However, the judge ruled that the law prescribes a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for attempted murder.
“This court lacks the jurisdiction to reduce the sentence prescribed by law,” Justice Effiong stated. “Based on the above, the defendant, Uwakmfon Isaac Jonah, is hereby sentenced to confinement for life.”
The judgment has been welcomed by child rights advocates, who described the incident as a chilling reminder of the vulnerability of young girls in the state.
Comments
Post a Comment