A high court in Ikeja on Wednesday sentenced Collins Abakwe, a 28-year-old man, to ten years’ imprisonment for stabbing to death his younger brother, Chibuike Abakwe, in a dispute over a woman.
The court led by Judge Raliat Adebiyi sentenced the convict, who was charged with murder in 2013, after convicting him of a charge of manslaughter.
The first murder charge was converted to manslaughter as a result of a plea bargain entered into by the convicted offender with the state, according to the NAN.
“The court is satisfied with the jail term agreed upon by the prosecution and defence counsel.
“The defendant is hereby sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment,” Adebiyi said.
Before pronouncing the sentence, Adebiyi asked the convict if he understood the meaning of the agreement he had made.
The convict, responding in the affirmative, told the court that he had signed the agreement himself.
According to the Attorney General, Ms. O. A. Olugasa, the convict committed the offense on Valentine’s Day on February 14, 2013, in Adeyanju Street, Amukoko, Lagos.
“Collins stabbed his younger brother, Chibuike, to death with a broken bottle during an argument.
“The siblings were arguing over a friend’s girlfriend who was trying to pass the night in their home.
“The misunderstanding became very violent and Collins ended up stabbing his younger brother, resulting in his death,” she said.
Olugasa also requested that the court should order the family of the convict to admit him in a rehabilitation centre.
“This is to enable him to undergo proper counselling when he finishes his prison term,” she said.
The offences contravened sections 221 and 227 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2011.
