Olayiwola Matthew
A High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has sentenced 33-year-old Ndifreke Isaiah Nelson to d+ath for the m¥rder of his girlfriend, Emem Monday Effanga.
Nelson was convicted on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, after the court found him guilty on a two-count charge bordering on m¥rder and st£aling.
The convict, said to be an usher in a new-generation church in Uyo, reportedly k+lled Effanga, a makeup artist, before fleeing with her phone.
According to reports, the incident happened around 7am on February 6, 2025, which was also Nelson’s birthday.
He had allegedly visited Effanga at her residence on Aka Road, Uyo, to use her phone to upload his birthday photos on social media. However, things reportedly turned v+olent after a struggle over the phone.
Nelson was said to have sl+mmed the deceased’s head against the wall before str@ngling her to d+ath. He then escaped with her phone after committing the crime.
Two days later, on February 8, 2025, security operatives tracked him to a church on Nsikak Eduok Avenue during a night vigil programme around 2am.
During interrogation, Nelson reportedly confessed to the crime.
Delivering judgment, Justice Ekpo Ntekim sentenced him to d+ath by h@nging or l£thal injection for the m¥rder charge, noting that the p¥nishment for st£aling was already covered by the main sentence.
