The Resident Pastor of Living Faith Church Chapel, Ifa Ikot Ubo–Ifa Ikot Okpon Branch, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Emmanuel Umoh, has been sentenced to death by hanging.

Umoh was sentenced by Justice Gabriel Ette of the state High Court for killing a 500-level Civil Engineering student of the University of Uyo, Gabriel Bassey, who was also his landlord.

The pastor was convicted for stabbing Edward to death on December 21, 2020, at Ifa Ikot Ubo in the Uyo Local Government Area of the state.

The court was informed that the deceased relocated to his late mother’s property at Ifa Ikot Ubo to secure the estate and also live closer to school.

His mother, before her death in December 2019, had established a nursery school on the property.

Evidence before the court indicated that the late landlord lived in a two-bedroom flat attached to a long hall within the compound alongside his younger brother, Emmanuel Bassey.

The hall, originally constructed for school purposes, was later rented to Living Faith Church at an annual rent of N150,000, with the consent of his father, Emana Bassey, a retired school principal.

The church was allowed to commence use of the hall, even before full payment of rent, it was gathered.

The convict was subsequently posted to the branch as its pioneer resident pastor.

Evidence presented before the court revealed further that on December 21, 2020, the defendant was seen entering the deceased’s compound, after which the neighbours began to hear screams of “Jesus” from inside the premises.

Shortly afterwards, the defendant emerged wearing a white garment stained with blood, claiming he fell off while attempting to hang a banner.

The deceased was never seen alive again.

On December 26, 2020, a day after Christmas, Edward’s decomposing body was discovered in his room, wrapped in a mat with multiple lacerations and a butcher’s knife found beside him.

The defendant, being the last person seen with Edward and possessing unexplained bloodstains, was promptly arrested and charged with murder.

The defendant, who was arraigned on December 6, 2021, on one-count charge of murder, pleaded not guilty.

To establish its case, the prosecution called six witnesses, including the deceased’s father, Emana Bassey, who testified as the first prosecution witness.

He told the court that shortly after the church began operations, the defendant requested permission to store church chairs and other items inside the deceased’s flat for security reasons, as the hall lacked doors and windows.

The father said the request was granted.

However, the arrangement soon became problematic.

Whenever the defendant needed access to church property kept in the flat, the deceased, often away, had to return home to grant access, incurring transport expenses that were not refunded.

Following complaints, the father directed his son to give the defendant a spare key to ease access.

The prosecution led evidence that after the key was handed over, items belonging to the deceased’s late mother, including clothes, plates and other valuables, began to get missing.

The defendant, being in possession of the spare key, became a suspect.

When confronted, the defendant claimed he had lost the key.

The matter was reported to the church’s senior pastor, Owoidoho Akpan, who testified as a defence witness who provided N5,000 to enable the deceased change the locks.

According to evidence before the court, no further items went missing after the locks were changed.

Tensions later arose between the deceased and the defendant over the handling of rent money reportedly paid for the use of the hall and intended for repairs.

Delivering judgment which lasted for over two hours, Justice Gabriel Ette described the case as “very sympathetic,” recounting the efforts of the deceased’s late mother to build and develop the property for educational purposes before her death.

The court held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Justice Ette condemned the act, noting the irony of a religious leader taking a life within church premises.

“Life is sacred and those who represent God on earth should teach that. It is an irony and quite appalling when a man who claims to be the representative of the divine on earth stoops so low as to denigrate the very essence of his calling and take someone’s life on the premises of the church,” Justice Ette held.

He further stated that individuals, who betray public trust in such a manner, pose a danger to society and must face the full weight of the law.

“Having found you guilty as charged, I hereby sentence you to death by hanging,” the court declared.

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Nigerians woke up on Monday to the video of a young TikToker, Abigail Nsuka, aka Mirabel, claiming that she had been raped in her apartment in the early hours of Sunday, February 15.

Within hours, the video had gone viral across social media platforms as thousands, including popular artiste, Simi, demanded justice for her.

Findings showed that Mirabel did not only win sympathisers, she also made a lot of money after sharing her account details until the bubble burst.

She is now in the custody of the Ogun State Police Command.

Wild rape claim

In an emotional post, Mirabel, amid sobs, had claimed she was raped by an invader around 9am.

She said, “I have insomnia. If I’m not drunk or high, I can’t sleep. So, on Saturday, I drank, and it wasn’t working. But I needed to be high enough so I could sleep.

“My eyes were tired, but I couldn’t sleep. I slept around 6am, and around 9am, I heard someone knocking on my door. I thought it was one of my neighbours because it was Sunday morning. Most of them would have gone to church, or maybe one of them wanted to ask for something. I stood up. I had a headache.

“I was still drunk and had a headache. Immediately I opened the door, I was pushed back. Before I got to my door, there was my fridge, and a few steps forward was the door. I hit my head on the fridge when I was pushed back, and I passed out. When I opened my eyes, there was a man over me.

“There was a cloth tucked in my mouth, and I was tied. I was just there mumbling, hoping somebody could hear me. It was Sunday, and most people would have gone to church; even the neighbour close to me had gone to church. Those were the only people who might faintly hear me mumbling.”

She claimed the attacker inserted a blade in her private parts to make her bleed.

“Later on, I was bleeding. I didn’t know why I was bleeding. I thought I got my period. The person texted me. It turns out this person inserted a face blade into my body and cut me so I could bleed,” she added.

The graphic details riled up many Nigerians as people shared the video.

Advocacy groups also showed readiness to take up her case.

The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency and the Ogun State Government indicated interest in ensuring justice was served.

The donations

Social media influencer, Martins Otse, aka Very Dark Man, claimed that he transferred N100,000 to her account, explaining that he initially intended to send N500,000 but her bank could not receive the money.

One of Mirabel’s friends, identified as Ifedolapo, said another person sent N200,000 to the account.

Ifedolapo also confirmed that N100,000 and N300,000 were also received separately into the bank account.

Many social media users said they had sent varying amounts to the account number.

An influencer, known as Immunizer, alleged that Mirabel made between N1m and N5m from sympathisers.

The controversies

Mirabel’s video had over seven million views and trended for days until some individuals began probing her claims.

Netizens such as Immunizer analysed the pattern of her claims and concluded that she made everything up.

They pointed out that her writing style was similar to the messages she claimed the rapist sent to her.

One of Mirabel’s neighbours also dismissed her claim that she drank Sniper in a suicide attempt, saying nothing of the sort happened.

Amid the backlash, a YouTuber, Vick TV, alleged that the story was concocted to raise funds to renew her rent.

Dramatic U-turn

As the heat was turned on, her friends began backing out, saying they were never part of the scheme.

Mirabel, in a recorded audio conversation with VDM, also admitted that she made it all up.

“I used to masturbate, and I’m a lesbian. I often self-harm when I have panic attacks. It might be a hallucination,” she said in the audio clip.

She admitted that she created a separate TikTok account to send herself messages to make it appear as though a rapist had contacted her.

The reported confession stunned supporters who had amplified her story and donated money.

As the confession circulated, public sympathy quickly turned to anger.

Several Nigerians who donated money demanded refunds as many expressed concern about the wider impact of a false rape claim, noting that such allegations could undermine the credibility of real victims.

One user wrote that many Nigerians were in prison due to false accusations, while another argued that genuine rape survivors often struggle to speak up.

The Founder and Executive Director of Project Alert on Violence Against Women, Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, slammed Mirabel for making false claims.

In a post on Facebook, she demanded that she be prosecuted for making light of a serious offence.

She wrote, “What nonsense is this? Does she think rape is something to joke about, chase clout and make money from? Does she realise that her irresponsible action can negatively affect real victims?

“As women’s right activists, we are are still dealing with secondary victimisation (blaming, shaming, ridiculling and poor response by the police) and then this reckless and badly behaved young girl pulls this stunt. Criminal this is. What’s wrong with people? Please let her face the full wrath of the law for owning up to lying.”

The Coordinator of the Lagos State Domestic Violence Response Team, Lola Adeniyi, in a statement on X, warned that false claims and misinformation could erode public trust and make it harder for genuine survivors to be believed, while cautioning against creating an atmosphere that silences real victims.

“Justice requires truth, evidence and due process,” the agency stated.

Punishment for false rape claim

Mirabel may face trial for the criminal offence of giving false information, which attracts a three-year jail term under Section 59 of the Criminal Code Act and Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015.

Section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act provides that if someone knowingly sends false information via social media, email or online platforms and it causes annoyance, danger, insult, criminal intimidation, hatred or needless anxiety, such a person is liable to three years’ imprisonment, a N7m fine, or both.

This law has been widely used against bloggers and social media users.

A human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, said Mirabel could be prosecuted.

He said, “If she had reported the matter earlier to the police, and it is later found to be false, she can also be charged with giving false information to the police.

“In the event of conviction, she may go to jail. My position is that people who come out to make false accusations of rape should be severely punished. It is a matter the legislature should look at.

“The effect is that it discourages genuine victims from coming out and makes it hard for the public to believe those who are actually victims of rape. That sort of behaviour is reprehensible and stands condemned.”

Also, the Chancellor of the International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights, Omenazu Jackson, described the Tiktoker’s actions as both “a criminal offence and a social crime.”

The lawyer said, “It is punishable to give false information to the public. That is deception, and it is punishable under the law because such information can cause public outcry and disturbances.

“So, it behooves any citizen to give correct information to the public. The law frowns on it seriously. The law states she can suffer imprisonment for such a false alarm.

“She must be prosecuted so that others will not give false information next time. This is to ensure that information given to the public is verifiable. In the criminal justice system, the onus of proof lies on the prosecution.”

The spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Oluseyi Babaseyi , said Mirabel had been discharged from the hospital where she was admitted, adding that she was in police custody.

He declined to comment when asked if she would be prosecuted for raising false alarm.

Zamfara State was on Friday thrown into mourning as bandits reportedly killed no fewer than 50 residents of Dutsin Dan Ajiya village, Anka Local Government area of the state.

Corpses of the victims were robed in white in preparation for a mass burial as seen in a video by Saturday PUNCH.

A resident of the village, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that the bandits, who carried sophisticated weapons, raided the village on Thursday night and shot sporadically.

He added that the terrorists blocked all access roads linking the community to prevent people from running away.

He said, “After blocking all the roads, the bandits started to shoot at sight and the villagers ran helter-skelter.

“After the attack, we realised that 30 people were killed; some were wounded, while several others are at large and nobody knows their whereabouts.”

Saturday PUNCH gathered that the attackers also abducted many residents during the raid which lasted till the wee hours of Friday.

However, Reuters said at least 50 people were killed in the attack.

A lawmaker representing Bukkuyum South, Hamisu Faru, told the news agency that the attackers raided the village from around 5pm on Thursday until about 3.30am on Friday, burning down buildings and shooting residents who tried to flee.

“They have been moving from one village to another … leaving at least 50 people dead,” Faru added.

A 41-year-old resident of the village, Abdullahi Sani, also said three family members were killed in the attack.

He said, “No one slept yesterday, we are all in pain.”

According to Sani, residents alerted security forces and local authorities when they saw more than 150 motorcycles carrying the hoodlums, but they got no support.

The state police spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar, could not be reached for comment.

He did not take his calls and had yet to respond to a text message sent to him as of press time.

Also, an aide to the governor promised to get back to Saturday PUNCH on the incident.

He had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.

The attack came a day after the Zamfara State Government donated Armoured Personnel Carriers and a drone to security personnel to fight against banditry.

The Minister of Defence, Gen Christopher Musa (rtd), who received the donation, had urged troops of the Nigerian Army to take decisive measures against any bandit or terrorist who failed to surrender or lay down their arms during the operation.

Zamfara is part of the North-West states being ravaged by banditry despite sustained military onslaught.

On Wednesday, no fewer than 33 residents of Bui District in Arewa LGA of Kebbi State were killed by Lakurawa terrorists in a reported attempt to rustle cattle.

Similarly,  the Lakurawa terrorists attacked the Maganho community in Tangaza LGA of Sokoto State, killing five persons on February 13, 2026

The attackers also rustled a large number of livestock belonging to residents, most of whom are farmers.

In Katsina, the bandits killed 21 residents in Doma town, Faskari LGA on February 3.

The attack shattered a six-month non-aggression pact the community had earlier reached with the gunmen.

‘Killings not a resurgence’

Reacting to the tragedy, the Executive Director of the Foundation for Peace Professionals, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, dismissed the notion that the latest killings represent a resurgence of violence.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH on Friday, Hamzat characterised the situation as a grim continuation of a long-standing security deficit.

He said the nation’s security architecture was fundamentally flawed and trapped “in a cycle of reactive measures rather than proactive prevention.”

“I do not think it is a resurgence; it is just the continuation of existing insecurity,” he stated.

Hamzat observed that the federal security apparatus was spread too thin to provide sustainable protection across the country’s vast territory.

He noted that the current strategy often involves moving troops from one crisis point to another, leaving recovered areas vulnerable once the military presence is withdrawn.

“Our security approach has always been about responding to situations as they happen. The security has been overstretched, before they effectively complete an operation in one location, they’re deployed to other places with more pressing demands,” said.

As a lasting solution to the carnage, the PeacePro boss maintained that the decentralisation of the police force is no longer a matter of debate but a necessity for national survival.

He insisted that the establishment of state and local police is the only viable option to provide the granular level of security needed to deter bandits in remote areas.

According to him, without a permanent, localised security presence that understands the terrain and maintains a constant vigil, the cycle of killings in states like Kebbi and Zamfara will continue to defy the efforts of a centralised, over-burdened federal command.

Similarly, a security expert, Akin Adeyi, suggested that the government and the military should commence offensive attacks on the bandits.

He said the government should have prepared for the fallout of the December 25, 2025 US strike on the bandits, which he said was responsible for attacks in new areas.

Adeyi said, “It is terrible that we are having this kind of situation, and that we are not prepared for it is a minus for the government. I said with the way the US struck on December 25 last year, these people (bandits) will run helter-skelter, and start spreading into places where there was peace, launching uncoordinated attacks. That is what they will be doing now.

“The government is supposed to have engaged the civil defence, the mobile police and all other paramilitary fully. The moment they are scattered and running into safety, they should have had a plan to curtail them to stop them from entering into society.

“It is not that they (security forces) will just go and sit and rely on repelling attacks. No, it is time for them to be on the offensive now. Anywhere, anytime they gather or receive information about their decision, let them not wait until they attack.”

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