Man to die by hanging for killing wife over sex

“ Going by the findings of this court, you, Benjamin Toma, mercilessly and in a calculative manner , took the life of your wife in cold blood .

“ You have not shown any remorse for your reprehensible act at the time of the incident and throughout the entire trial .

“ You were exhibiting such character traits that seem to suggest your deep conviction about the justness of your wicked and callous act.

“ In all of this , your two children are the ultimate losers , but the law shall nonetheless take its course; the offence for which you are being charged , does not contemplate a plea in mitigation .
“ The sentence of this court upon you is that you , Benjamin Toma, will be hanged until you are dead."

That was the verdict of Justice Samson Gang of a Plateau State High Court sitting in Barkin -Ladi on Thursday in a case of culpable homicide brought against 37 years old Benjamin Toma who allegedly killed his wife Vicky for denying him sex.

In a 68-paged judgement, Justice Gang pronounced Toma guilty of the one -count charge of culpable homicide punishable by death , under section 221 of the penal code.

The convict was said to have on March 4, 2014 struck his wife to death with an iron rod before hanging her with a rope in the store to give the impression that she committed suicide.

Although Toma had pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge, a prosecution witness, Sgt. Sunday Abu , who investigated the case told the court that he, Toma had in a confessional statement, said that he committed the crime on March 4, 2014 at about 1 am when his wife denied him sex.

"He ( Toma) further confessed that his wife refused to grant his request , and declared that Vicky had persistently rejected that demand for more than one year on the suspicion that he had HIV/AIDS .

“Toma said that because of this wife ’ s allegation , he went to the hospital and confirmed he had hepatitis and not HIV.

“He told investigators that on that night , he struggled with his wife and later used an iron rod to hit her.

“He said that when she fell, he left her there for two hours , and later took her out of the room and used a rope to hang her in a bid to conceal his action.”

When the confessional statement was tendered in court as evidence, Toma admitted that the thumbprint on it was his own.