Carpenter Taken To Court For Killing Woman After Intercourse To Avoid Giving Her What He Promised

A 54-year-old carpenter has been taken to court after he allegedly murdered a 24-year-old woman in refusal to pay for service rendered.

The carpenter, identified as Awele Ukpor was remanded at Ikoyi Correctional Centre being accused of killing one Joy Onyekachi, whom he met on November 19, 2023, at a restaurant in the Ajangbadi area of Lagos State.

It was learnt, during a court sitting on Monday, Dec. 18, that Ukpor met Onyekachi in a bar he visited in the area and they engaged in a conversation.

During their conversation, Onyekachi opened up to Ukpor on how she had lost her job, and in response, Ukpor offered to take her home and afterwards pay her N60,000 to start up something.

However, after spending the night with her, he offered her N20,000, N40,000 short of what he had promised her, and this resulted into an argument.

While arguing, he allegedly hit her on the head with an iron basin and she collapsed and died.

Ukpor later enlisted the assistance of a scrap collector, who assisted him in burying her in a shallow grave behind an abandoned bakery.

Ukpor was charged with murder and brought before Magistrate Linda Balogun in a Magistrate’s Court in Yaba, Lagos State.

Chekwube Okeh, the police prosecutor, asked the court to remand the defendant to the correctional center pending the outcome of legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.

The charge read: “That you, Awele Ukpor, November 19, 2023, at Jelli Close, Ajangbadi, Lagos in the Lagos Magisterial District, did unlawfully kill the deceased, Joy Onyekachi, aged 24 years, by hitting an iron basin on her head and thereafter secretly buried the corpse in a shallow grave and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 222 and punishable under Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.”

The plea of the defendant was not taken.

Granting the request of the prosecutor, the magistrate remanded the defendant to the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending legal advice from the DPP.

Magistrate Balogun adjourned the case till January 24, 2023, for the DPP advice.