A High Court in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State has ordered the life imprisonment of Uwakmfon Jonah, a 36-year-old mother of four, after convicting her of attempting to murder a 12-year-old girl.
The convict, a hairdresser and divorcee from Ikot Obong in Afaha Clan, was found guilty of attempted murder under Section 276 of the Criminal Code of Akwa Ibom State.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Winifred Effiong held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The court was told that the victim had accompanied her mother to the market to sell fresh pepper when Jonah approached her under the guise of buying the produce. She allegedly persuaded the child to follow her by claiming an elderly customer nearby wanted to make a purchase.
The girl said she became uneasy after they left the market and entered a bush path. When she tried to turn back, the woman allegedly overpowered her, covered her mouth with a piece of cloth and attacked her with a knife.
“I followed the lady because she put on a nice dress. Reaching the road to the bush, I told her that the road is too far that I can’t continue the movement again. At that juncture, the lady held me and I ran from the bush. The lady ran after me and I fell inside the bush and the lady held my cloth and tied it around my mouth, so that is where I could not shout for help.
“She brought a knife from the bag and cut my left eye blow and my right side of my neck and the lady ran away. The bush is close to Urua Akpan market in Essien Udim,” the victim told the court.
Jonah, who was arraigned in August 2024, pleaded not guilty. Although she admitted taking the child into the bush, she denied carrying out the attack, claiming she left the girl with another woman working on a nearby farm.
The prosecution presented three witnesses and tendered documentary evidence, including statements made by both the victim and the defendant.
In reaching its decision, the court dismissed the defendant’s explanation, noting that she failed to provide any convincing information about the alleged woman she claimed took custody of the child.
Justice Effiong ruled that the evidence, including the victim’s testimony, medical injuries and the defendant’s own admission that she led the child into the bush, clearly linked her to the offence.
“The defendant lured a vulnerable child away from the safety of a public market and into a secluded bush. The child sustained a deep cut to the neck and injuries to the eye.
“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 fact that the child survived does not negate the intention,” the Court held.
Following the conviction, the defence urged the court to show mercy. However, the judge ruled that the law prescribes life imprisonment for attempted murder, leaving the court with no discretion.
“This court lacks the jurisdiction to reduce the sentence prescribed by law. Based on the above, the defendant, Uwakmfon Isaac Jonah is hereby sentenced to confinement for life,” the Court held.
