Mother of four sentenced to life in prison for trying to kill a girl in Akwa Ibom

A High Court in Akwa Ibom State, sitting in Essien Udim Local Government Area, has sentenced a mother of four, Uwakmfon Jonah, to life imprisonment. This sentence comes after she attempted to murder a 12-year-old girl.

Uwakmfon, a 36-year-old hairdresser and divorcee from Ikot Obong in Afaha Clan, received the life sentence for one count of attempted murder. This is against Section 276 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38 Vol. 2, Laws of Akwa Ibom State, 2022.

The presiding judge, Justice Winifred Effiong, announced the sentence while delivering judgment on Thursday.

The court heard that the victim was with her mother, who sells pepper, when she was hawking fresh pepper. The convict approached her, pretending to want to buy some pepper. The girl later told the court how Uwakmfon tricked her into following her into the bush.

“I followed the lady because she wore a nice dress. When we reached the bush, I said the road was too far for me. At that point, the lady held me and I ran. She chased me, and I fell in the bush. She grabbed my cloth and tied it around my mouth so I could not shout for help.

“She took a knife from her bag and cut my left eye and my neck. Then she ran away. The bush is close to Urua Akpan market in Essien Udim,” the victim shared.

The girl explained that Uwakmfon told her that an elderly customer wanted to buy her pepper but could not come to the market. The woman said she needed the girl to come to the bush where her mother was farming waterleaf and could pay her.

The girl followed the woman because she looked respectable and well dressed. But when she started to feel uneasy and tried to turn back, Uwakmfon attacked her. The defendant tied her mouth with cloth to stop her from screaming and then tried to gouge out one of her eyes. She also made a deep cut on the girl's neck before fleeing the scene.

Uwakmfon was arraigned on August 12, 2024. The court read and explained the charges to her in the Annang language, and she pleaded not guilty.

During the trial, the prosecution presented three witnesses and provided the statements of both Uwakmfon and the victim as evidence.

In her defense, Uwakmfon admitted to approaching the girl in the market and leading her into the bush. But she denied attacking the victim. She claimed she handed the child over to another woman who was farming waterleaf nearby.

Justice Effiong ruled that Uwakmfon did not provide any details about this supposed woman. The judge described Uwakmfon's claim as not credible and unbelievable.

The court found that the prosecution proved Uwakmfon lured the girl from the market into the bush. The judge pointed out that the victim's injuries, Uwakmfon's admission of taking the girl into the bush, and the girl's immediate identification of Uwakmfon at Saint Mary’s Hospital supported the victim's story.

The judge also noted that Uwakmfon did not give any believable explanation about the third person she claimed to have handed the child over to. The court clearly saw an intention to kill.

“The defendant lured a vulnerable child away from the safety of a public market into a bush. The child suffered a deep cut on her neck and injuries to her eye.

“The neck is a vital part of the body. Someone who cuts a helpless child’s neck must be seen as intending the likely outcome of such an act. Just because the child survived does not change that intention,” the court declared.

Justice Effiong stated that the prosecution proved all aspects of the case beyond a reasonable doubt. He said, “The evidence of PW2 was direct and credible, supported by other circumstances. Uwakmfon admitted taking the child into the bush, which is a strong link in the evidence chain.

“Her attempt to blame an unidentified third party is unbelievable and does not create reasonable doubt.”

After the conviction, the defendant's lawyer asked the court to show mercy and give her a second chance. But Justice Effiong explained that Section 276 of the Criminal Code mandates a life sentence for attempted murder.

“This court cannot change the sentence set by law. Therefore, Uwakmfon Isaac Jonah is sentenced to life imprisonment,” the court concluded.