An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Essien Udim Local Government Area has sentenced a 36-year-old hairdresser, Uwakmfon Jonah, to life imprisonment for the attempted murder of a 12-year-old girl.

Justice Winifred Effiong delivered the judgment on Thursday after finding the mother of four guilty of a one-count charge of attempted murder contrary to Section 276 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38 Vol. 2, Laws of Akwa Ibom State, 2022.

The court heard that the victim had accompanied her mother, a pepper trader, to the market where she was hawking fresh pepper when the convict approached her under the guise of buying the commodity.

The prosecution told the court that the defendant persuaded the child to accompany her to a nearby bush, claiming an elderly customer wanted to buy pepper but could not walk to the market.

Testifying before the court, the victim said she followed the woman because she appeared respectable and was neatly dressed. She added that she became suspicious after entering the bush and attempted to turn back, but the defendant restrained her, tied her mouth with a piece of cloth to prevent her from screaming, inflicted injuries on her eye and slit her neck before fleeing the scene.

The defendant, who was arraigned on August 12, 2024, pleaded not guilty after the charge was interpreted to her in the Annang language.

During the trial, the prosecution called three witnesses and tendered the statements of both the defendant and the victim as exhibits.

While testifying in her defence, Jonah admitted taking the child from the market into the bush but denied attacking her, claiming she handed the girl over to another woman cultivating waterleaf in the area.

However, Justice Effiong rejected the defence, describing it as unsubstantiated and unbelievable because the defendant failed to provide the identity or any description of the alleged third party.

The judge held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant lured the child into the bush and intended to kill her, relying on the victim’s testimony, the injuries sustained, the defendant’s admission that she took the child into the bush, and the victim’s immediate identification of the defendant while receiving treatment at Saint Mary’s Hospital, Urua Akpan.

According to the court, the deep cut inflicted on the child’s neck, a vital part of the body, clearly demonstrated an intention to kill, notwithstanding the fact that the victim survived.

Although defence counsel appealed for mercy, Justice Effiong ruled that Section 276 of the Criminal Code prescribes a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for attempted murder and sentenced the convict to life imprisonment accordingly.