Suspected Killer of Nigerian Student in UK Convicted of Murder
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
A court in the United Kingdom has found 28-year-old Congolese national Benjamin Katabana guilty of murdering Nigerian student Uchenna Okirie following a fatal stabbing incident in Norwich, England.
The verdict was delivered at Norwich Crown Court after jurors concluded an 11-day trial that examined the circumstances surrounding the death of Okirie, a former postgraduate student who lived in a shared residential building in the city.
The incident occurred in November 2025 when emergency services responded to reports of a stabbing at a residential property. Despite efforts by medical personnel to save him, Okirie died shortly after sustaining a severe chest wound.
During the trial, Katabana admitted responsibility for the killing but sought a manslaughter conviction on the basis of diminished responsibility. His legal team argued that psychological trauma linked to his upbringing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo affected his mental state at the time of the attack.
Prosecutors, however, maintained that the killing was intentional. Evidence presented in court included CCTV footage showing an altercation between the two men in a communal corridor of the building where they both resided.
Investigators told the court that Katabana later surrendered to police and made statements indicating involvement in the incident. Authorities also revealed that the weapon used in the attack was never recovered.
The jury rejected the diminished responsibility defence and returned a unanimous verdict of murder. A post-mortem examination confirmed that Okirie died from a stab wound to the chest.
Following the conviction, investigators described the attack as deliberate and unprovoked, expressing hope that the outcome would provide some measure of justice and closure for the victim’s family. A sentencing date is expected to be announced by the court in due course.
In the aftermath of Okirie’s death, members of the Nigerian community in Norwich organized fundraising efforts to support the repatriation of his remains to Nigeria for burial.
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