By our Reporter
A Rivers State High Court has sentenced Damian Okoligwe, a 400-level University of Port Harcourt student, to death for killing his girlfriend, 300-level Biochemistry student Justina Otuene.
Justice Chiwen Nsirim Nwosu ruled that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Okoligwe intentionally caused the death of the 20-year-old, who was her parents’ only daughter. Okoligwe, now 26, killed Justina in October 2023 at his residence, and her dismembered body was later discovered in a ‘Ghana-must-go’ bag after neighbours reported a foul smell to the police. This discovery led to his arrest and subsequent trial.
The case, initially handled by a Magistrate Court, was transferred to the Department of Public Prosecutions in November 2023, with the formal trial commencing in May 2024 under the Rivers State Government. Prosecuting counsel Charles Obediah-Mbaba lauded the court’s decision, saying the verdict not only delivered justice but also served as a warning to youths who pursue shortcuts to wealth. He described the m¥rder as “gruesome” and suggestive of possible ritual intentions.
Justina’s elder brother, Osat-Awaji Otuene, expressed relief that justice had been served. The sentencing adds to a series of high-profile murder convictions in Rivers State, including cases involving students, a self-styled pastor, and a Chinese national, all sentenced to death for killing their partners. The case has also reignited public debate over rising intimate-partner violence in Nigeria.
