Court sentences 400 level UNIPORT student to death over murder of girlfriend in Rivers
The Rivers State High Court, Port Harcourt, has sentenced Damian Okoligwe, a 400-level Petrochemical Engineering student at the University of Port Harcourt, to death by hanging for the October 2023 murder of his girlfriend, Justina Otuene, a 300-level Biochemistry student.
Okoligwe killed Otuene at his apartment in Mgbupba, Obio-Akpor, dismembered her body, and attempted to dispose of the remains before his arrest.
Delivering judgment, Justice Chinwe Nsirim-Nwosu ruled that the prosecution had proven the case beyond a reasonable doubt, describing the crime as intentional, calculated, and evil. The court ordered that Okoligwe be “hanged on the neck until confirmed dead.”
Prosecuting lawyer Charles Mbaba hailed the verdict, stating it would console the victim’s family and serve as a deterrent. Osatawaji, the victim’s brother, also welcomed the ruling, describing it as a measure of justice and relief for the family.
