A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has sentenced a final-year student of the University of Port Harcourt, Damian Okoligwe, to death for the murder of his girlfriend, Justina Otuene.
The judgment was delivered on Friday by Hon. Justice Chiwen Nsirim Nwosu, who held that the prosecution successfully proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, establishing that the convict intentionally caused the death of the deceased.
Okoligwe, a 400-level Petrochemical Engineering student, was found guilty of killing Justina Otuene, a 300-level Biochemistry student of the same institution, in October 2023. The victim, aged 20 at the time of her death, was described in court as the only daughter of her parents.
Evidence before the court revealed that Justina was murdered at the convict’s residence in Port Harcourt. Her dismembered body was later discovered stuffed inside a “Ghana-must-go” bag after neighbours raised an alarm over a persistent foul odour emanating from the apartment. The discovery led to Okoligwe’s arrest and subsequent arraignment.
The trial formally commenced in May 2024 after the Rivers State Government took over the prosecution of the case. The matter had initially been handled by a Magistrate Court, but in November 2023, Chief Magistrate Nnenda Obiageri Onugbum ordered that the case file be transferred to the Department of Public Prosecutions for legal advice and further action.
Although the detailed ruling was still being awaited at the time of filing this report, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Charles Obediah-Mbaba, expressed satisfaction with the judgement, describing it as justice well served.
Speaking to journalists after the verdict, Obediah-Mbaba said the court’s decision brought closure to a case that shocked the conscience of the public.
“Justice has not only been done but has been seen and felt to be done in respect of the gruesome murder of Justina Otuene,” he said.
He added that the nature of the killing suggested ritual motivations and expressed hope that the judgement would serve as a strong deterrent to young people who believe crime is a shortcut to wealth.
The elder brother of the deceased, Osat-Awaji Otuene, also welcomed the verdict, stating that the family now feels a measure of relief knowing that justice has been served.
The conviction adds to a growing number of high-profile murder cases in Rivers State in which offenders have been sentenced to death, including recent convictions involving students, a self-acclaimed pastor, and a foreign national, all found guilty of killing their partners.
The judgement has reignited public discourse on rising cases of intimate-partner violence in Nigeria and the urgent need for preventive interventions.
Also read:
TRAGEDY IN PORT HARCOURT: Gay Nigerian Man Dies After Being Pushed from Two-Storey Building by Homophobic Attackers
