Bayelsa High Court Sentences Joseph Fekala to Death for Murder of Girlfriend Kate Oguoh

A Bayelsa State High Court sitting in Yenagoa has sentenced Joseph Fekala to death for the murder of his 25-year-old girlfriend, Kate Oguoh, in a case that shocked residents of the state in 2022.

The tragic incident occurred in July 2022, when Fekala strangled Kate during a dispute over ₦50,000 she had given him. After killing her, he buried her body inside his room at Okaka, in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

Following a three-year trial, Justice Ineikade Eradiri found Fekala guilty of three out of four charges brought against him by the prosecution. He was convicted of murder, misconduct in the handling of a corpse, and burial in an unlicensed place, contrary to the Criminal Code of Bayelsa State. However, he was acquitted of the charge of stealing.

In a ruling that lasted over three hours, Justice Eradiri dismissed the defence arguments of insanity, provocation, and self-defence, stating that the defendant failed to prove that he was mentally unstable at the time of the crime.

According to the judge, the witnesses presented by the defence could not establish insanity, while exhibits tendered before the court showed that Fekala was fully aware of his actions when he committed the offence.

The court also rejected the defence’s plea for a manslaughter conviction, ruling that the charge of murder could not be substituted with a lesser offence.

“The plea for a lesser offence cannot be sustained. After reviewing the evidence before the Court, I find no grounds to convict the defendant for manslaughter. I therefore find the accused guilty of murder and convict him of counts one, two, and three,” Justice Eradiri ruled.

The judge stated that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and directed the court clerk to formally inform the defendant of the verdict.

During his allocution, Fekala reportedly knelt in the dock and begged the court for mercy, describing himself as a Christian and peace-loving man. He also pleaded with the family of the deceased to forgive him for the crime.

However, Justice Eradiri stated that the law left him with no discretion regarding sentencing for murder.

“For murder, I have no discretion. The punishment for murder under Section 247 of the Criminal Code of Bayelsa State is death. I hereby sentence you to death by hanging till you die. May God have mercy on your soul,” the judge pronounced.

Reacting to the judgment, the parents of the deceased, Mr. and Mrs. Theophilus Oguoh, expressed satisfaction with the ruling and commended the judiciary for ensuring justice was served.