Court sentences 28yr old Youth Pastor to death for killing girlfriend

By Bassey Williams, Yenagoa

A Bayelsa State High Court sitting in Yenagoa has sentenced a 28-year-old man, identified simply as Fekala, to death by hanging for the murder of his girlfriend, Kate Oguoh, in the Okaka area of the state capital.

Delivering judgment after a protracted trial spanning three years, the presiding judge, Justice Ineikade Eradiri, found Fekala guilty of the offense.

The court rejected the defense’s plea of insanity and the request for a lesser sentence, ruling that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The victim, Kate Oguoh, a clothes vendor and indigene of Sagbama Local Government Area, was killed in July 2022 following a dispute over N50,000 she had reportedly transferred to the convict for forex trading.

The court heard that the disagreement escalated, leading Fekala to strangle the victim before burying her body in a shallow grave inside his apartment in the Okaka community.

Prosecution counsel established that the deceased had left her family home following a minor misunderstanding to visit a friend, the convict’s younger sister before she went missing. Neighbors reportedly testified to hearing heated arguments between the deceased and Fekala regarding the unpaid debt prior to her disappearance.

Police investigations revealed that Fekala, who served as a youth pastor in charge of the Sunday School section of a local church, killed the victim to cover up the debt. T

The Police also clarified that contrary to initial public speculation, the convict was not involved in internet fraud.

The decomposing body of the deceased was later exhumed from the convict's apartment. It was found wrapped in a black polythene bag with visible injuries to the head.

In a judgment lasting over three hours, Justice Eradiri held that the evidence was overwhelming and consequently sentenced Fekala to death by hanging.