By Adesakin Adefemi
An Akwa Ibom State High Court has sentenced a 36-year-old mother of four, Uwakmfon Jonah, to life imprisonment for the attempted murder of a 12-year-old girl in Essien Udim Local Government Area.
The judgment was delivered on Thursday by Justice Winifred Effiong on a one-count charge under Section 276 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38 Vol. 2, Laws of Akwa Ibom State, 2022.
The convict, a hairdresser and divorcee from Ikot Obong in Afaha Clan, was said to have lured the minor from Urua Akpan Market under the guise of buying pepper for an elderly customer.
Prosecutors told the court that the defendant persuaded the child to follow her into a nearby bush, claiming her mother was cultivating waterleaf and would make payment there.
According to the victim’s testimony, she initially followed the woman because she appeared “respectable and was neatly dressed.” When she became suspicious and tried to turn back, the defendant allegedly tied her mouth with cloth to stop her from screaming, cut her left eyebrow and inflicted a deep cut on the right side of her neck before fleeing.
The child survived the attack and was treated at Saint Mary’s Hospital, Urua Akpan, where she immediately identified Jonah as her assailant. The prosecution called three witnesses and tendered both the defendant’s and the victim’s statements as exhibits during the trial that began with her arraignment on August 12, 2024.
In her defence, Uwakmfon admitted leading the child into the bush but denied attacking her. She claimed she handed the girl over to another unnamed woman cultivating waterleaf nearby.
The court, however, said the claim was unsubstantiated as she could not provide any identity, address, or description of the alleged third party.
Delivering judgment, Justice Effiong held that the prosecution proved all elements of attempted murder beyond reasonable doubt. She noted that the defendant’s admission of taking the child into the bush formed “a powerful link in the chain of evidence,” and that the injuries to the neck and eye showed clear intent to kill.
“The neck is one of the most vital and vulnerable parts of the human body. A person who deliberately inflicts a deep cut on the neck of a helpless child must be presumed to intend the natural and probable consequences of such an act,” the judge ruled. “The fact that the child survived does not negate the intention.”
Counsel for the defendant pleaded for mercy and a second chance, but the court said it was bound by law. Justice Effiong stated that Section 276 prescribes a mandatory life sentence for attempted murder, leaving the court without jurisdiction to reduce the punishment.
Consequently, the judge sentenced Uwakmfon Isaac Jonah to “confinement for life.” The case has drawn strong reactions in Essien Udim, with residents describing the ruling as a stern warning against crimes targeting vulnerable children in markets and public spaces.
