Judiciary
Court Sentences Winners Chapel Pastor to Death for Landlord’s Murder
An Akwa Ibom State High Court has sentenced a 29-year-old resident pastor of Living Faith Church Worldwide, popularly known as Winners Chapel, to death by hanging for the murder of his landlord.
The convict, Emmanuel Umoh, served as the Resident Pastor at the Ifa Ikot Ubo–Ifa Ikot Okpon branch of the church. Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Gabriel Ette found him guilty of killing Gabriel Bassey Edward, a 500-level Civil Engineering student of the University of Uyo.
Academic records released after Edward’s death showed that he graduated with First Class honours.
Background
Court documents revealed that Edward had moved into his late mother’s property at Ifa Ikot Ubo to safeguard the estate and stay closer to school. Before her passing in December 2019, his mother had established a nursery school within the compound.
Edward lived in a two-bedroom flat attached to a long hall in the compound with his younger brother. The hall, originally constructed for school activities, was later rented to the church for worship at an annual rent of ₦150,000. The arrangement received the approval of Edward’s father, Emana Bassey Edward, a retired school principal. The church commenced use of the hall before completing payment, and Umoh was subsequently posted to the branch as its first Resident Pastor.
Circumstances of the Killing
The court heard that on December 21, 2020, Umoh was seen entering the compound. Neighbours later reported hearing repeated shouts of “Jesus” from within the premises. Shortly afterwards, he was seen leaving wearing a white garment stained with blood, which he claimed was due to a fall while attempting to hang a banner.
On December 26, 2020, a day after Christmas, Edward’s decomposing body was discovered in his room. The body, wrapped in a mat, bore multiple deep cuts allegedly inflicted with a butcher’s knife recovered at the scene.
Umoh was arrested as the last person seen with the deceased and for having blood stains on his clothing without a satisfactory explanation. He was charged with one count of murder and arraigned on December 6, 2021, where he pleaded not guilty.
Trial Proceedings
The prosecution called six witnesses, including the deceased’s father. He told the court that after the church began using the hall, the pastor sought permission to store church chairs and other items in Edward’s flat because the hall lacked doors and windows. The request was granted.
The arrangement later created tension, as Edward had to return home whenever the pastor required access to the stored items, even when he was away, without compensation for the inconvenience. Following complaints, Edward’s father directed him to give the pastor a spare key.
Subsequently, personal belongings of Edward’s late mother — including clothes, plates, and other valuables — reportedly went missing. Suspicion fell on the pastor due to his access to the key. When questioned, he claimed the key had been lost.
The issue was reported to the church’s Senior Pastor, Owoidoho Etuk Akpan, who testified as a defence witness. He informed the court that he gave the family ₦5,000 to replace the locks, after which no further items were reported missing.
The court also heard that friction later developed between the pastor and the deceased over rent allegedly paid for the hall and intended for repairs.
Judgment
In a judgment lasting over two hours, Justice Ette described the case as deeply painful, recalling the late mother’s efforts in building the property for educational purposes.
The court held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, stressing that life is sacred and that anyone who betrays public trust particularly in a religious setting must face the full weight of the law.
Emmanuel Umoh was accordingly sentenced to death by hanging.
The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, David Metcalf, has announced the extradition of a third Nigerian national to the United States in connection with a sexual extortion scheme that allegedly led to the death of a young man in the district.
The announcement was made by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The suspect, Afeez Olatunji Adewale, 26, was extradited from Nigeria on Friday, February 13, 2026, to face charges stemming from the alleged sextortion operation. He is charged by indictment with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Adewale made his initial appearance in federal court in Philadelphia before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lynne A. Sitarski.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Adewale was arrested in Nigeria on August 17, 2023, during a broader Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) operation targeting individuals accused of sexually extorting minors in the United States.
The extradition was coordinated with the assistance of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the FBI Legal Attaché in Abuja, and the FBI, which took Adewale into custody upon his arrival in the United States.
U.S. authorities acknowledged the critical support provided by Nigerian security agencies in securing the extradition. Notably involved were Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Justice’s International Criminal Justice Cooperation Department, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Adewale’s extradition follows those of his co-defendants, Imoleayo Samuel Aina, also known as “Alice Dave,” 27, and Samuel Olasunkanmi Abiodun, 26, who were extradited to the United States in August 2024.
Abiodun pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges. In June 2025, he was sentenced to five years in prison by United States District Judge Joel H. Slomsky.
Aina later pleaded guilty to multiple offences, including cyberstalking, interstate threats to injure reputation, receiving proceeds of extortion, money laundering conspiracy, and wire fraud. In October 2025, Judge Slomsky sentenced him to six years in prison.
The case was investigated by the FBI Philadelphia Field Office’s Fort Washington Resident Agency in collaboration with the Abington Township Police Department.
Prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Brown.
Authorities stressed that the charges and allegations contained in the indictment against Adewale are accusations. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Trustees of the Centre for Community Law (CCL), a Nigerian-registered non-governmental organisation, alongside Professor Amos Osaiogbovo Enabulele, have filed a suit against the ECOWAS Commission and the Federal Government of Nigeria over what they describe as the “unlawful” nomination and appointment of judges to the ECOWAS Court of Justice.
The suit was filed at the ECOWAS Court in Abuja on February 6, 2026, and formally registered on February 12, 2026, with reference number ECW/CCJ/APP/08/26.
The CCL and Professor Enabulele are listed as Applicants, while the ECOWAS Commission and the Federal Republic of Nigeria are named as Respondents.
Alleged Violation of Legal Provisions
In the originating application, the Applicants argue that the process for nominating judges to the ECOWAS Court failed to comply with mandatory provisions of the Rules of Procedure of the ECOWAS Community Judicial Council and Article 3(1) of the Protocol on the ECOWAS Court of Justice.
They are asking the Court to determine whether it is lawful for ECOWAS Member States, particularly Nigeria, to nominate and appoint judges without strictly adhering to prescribed procedures, including wide publicity of vacancies and transparent, merit-based selection processes.
According to the Applicants, the ECOWAS Commission requested nominations from Member States without ensuring compliance with established rules designed to guarantee transparency, competitiveness and merit.
Reference to ECOWAS Communiqué
The Applicants rely on paragraph 47(xi) of the Final Communiqué issued at the Sixty-Eighth Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government held on December 14, 2025, in Abuja.
The communiqué, attached as Exhibit C, indicated that Nigeria, Benin, Liberia, The Gambia and Togo were selected to nominate the next college of judges for the ECOWAS Court.
Following that allocation, the Applicants allege that the nomination process in Nigeria and at the level of the ECOWAS Commission did not comply with requirements for public advertisement and transparent selection, thereby excluding qualified candidates and undermining due process.
Call for Urgent Intervention
Professor Enabulele, a Professor of Public International Law and Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, and the CCL, a non-profit advocacy organisation focused on monitoring compliance with ECOWAS laws and promoting accountability within Community institutions, argue that urgent judicial intervention is necessary.
They warn that unless the Court steps in, individuals may be appointed to the ECOWAS Court bench without following proper procedures, potentially affecting the integrity, independence and credibility of the regional judicial institution.
In addition to the substantive suit, the Applicants have filed an application for expedited procedure pursuant to Article 59 of the Rules of the Community Court of Justice, urging the Court to hear and determine the matter urgently.
They maintain that the Respondents are already taking active steps to nominate and appoint judges and that any delay could render the case nugatory if appointments are concluded before judgment.
The Applicants have also filed a motion seeking interim restraining orders to halt any further steps in the nomination and appointment process pending the determination of the suit.
Reliefs Sought
Among the reliefs sought are declarations that the nomination and appointment process must strictly comply with the Rules of Procedure of the ECOWAS Community Judicial Council and the Protocol on the ECOWAS Court of Justice.
They are also seeking orders compelling the publication of vacancies for judicial positions and directing the Respondents to publish the names and curriculum vitae of nominated candidates to enable Community citizens to comment.
The Applicants further ask the Court to prohibit the Community Judicial Council from accepting nominations obtained without proper advertisement and to issue such further orders as may be necessary to preserve the integrity of the Court.
The Respondents are required to file their defence within 15 days of service, failing which the Applicants may proceed and judgment may be delivered in their absence.
The Centre for Community Law said the suit is aimed at safeguarding the rule of law within ECOWAS institutions and ensuring that judicial appointments to the Community Court reflect transparency, merit and strict compliance with governing legal instruments.
No hearing date has been fixed.
Proceedings in the trial of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and his son, Abdulaziz, have been stalled until February 27, 2026, following an adjournment by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik postponed the matter on Friday due to the public holiday declared by the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, ahead of the area council elections, scheduled for Saturday, February 21.
The Department of State Services (DSS) had earlier, on February 3, arraigned the former AGF and his son on a five-count charge bordering on terrorism-related offences and unlawful possession of firearms.
Malami is further accused of declining to prosecute suspected financiers of terrorism despite receiving their case files while serving as the nation’s chief law officer.
The charges also allege that both defendants unlawfully stored firearms at their residence in Gesse Phase II, Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
They pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Following their plea, prosecuting counsel Calistus Eze asked the court to remand the defendants in DSS custody and set a date for the commencement of trial.