An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Essien Udim Local Government Area has sentenced a 36-year-old mother of four, Uwakmfon Jonah, to life imprisonment for the attempted murder of a 12-year-old pepper hawker.
Justice Winifred Effiong found the defendant guilty of a one-count charge of attempted murder under Section 276 of the Criminal Code of Akwa Ibom State. The court heard that the convict lured the girl from a market into a nearby bush under the pretext of buying pepper for an elderly customer.
According to the victim’s testimony, the woman tied her mouth with a piece of cloth, attacked her with a knife, inflicting injuries to her neck and left eye, before fleeing and leaving her for dead. The child, however, survived the attack and was later rescued.
In delivering judgment, Justice Effiong held that the nature of the injuries and the circumstances of the attack clearly showed an intention to kill. The judge ruled that the prosecution had proved the charge beyond reasonable doubt and noted that life imprisonment is the mandatory punishment prescribed by law for attempted murder in the state.
Despite pleas for leniency by the defence, the court said it had no discretion to reduce the statutory sentence and consequently ordered that the convict be confined for life.
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