UniPort student sentenced to death for murder of girlfriend
A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has sentenced 26-year-old Damian Okoligwe, a 400-level Petrochemical Engineering student of the University of Port Harcourt, to death by hanging for the murder of his girlfriend, Justina Otuene, a 300-level Biochemistry student.
Justice Chiwen Nsirim Nwosu delivered the judgment on Friday, ruling that the prosecution led by Charles Obediah-Mbaba, proved beyond reasonable doubt that Okoligwe killed Justina in October 2023 at his Ozuoba residence. The court held that her death resulted directly from his actions.
Okoligwe was arrested after neighbours alerted police to a foul smell coming from his room. Officers forced the door open and discovered Justina’s dismembered body packed inside a Ghana-must-go bag. Investigators alleged he killed her for ritual purposes.
The case, initially before a Magistrate Court, was transferred to the Department of Public Prosecution in November 2023. Trial formally began in May 2024 after the state government took over the matter.
During a 2023 interview at the Rivers State Police Command, Okoligwe denied killing Justina. He claimed he had fallen ill, slept off, and woke to find her dead. He admitted returning days later to dispose of her body, but insisted he did not remove any organs.
After the verdict, prosecuting counsel Obediah-Mbaba commended the court, saying justice had been “done, seen, and felt” for the late Justina.
He described her as the only daughter of her parents and said the ruling should serve as a deterrent to young people seeking shortcuts to wealth.
Justina’s elder brother, Osat-Awaji Otuene, welcomed the judgment, calling it well-deserved and a source of relief for the family.
“It’s certain that my sister didn’t just die for nothing,” he said.
