UK court sentences Congolese to life for killing Nigerian

A 28-year-old Congolese national, Benjamin Katabana, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years for the murder of his Nigerian roommate, Uchenna Okirie. The killing occurred in Norwich, United Kingdom, in what the court described as a "violent and unprovoked attack."

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I have killed someone, I think.

According to reports, Katabana lured Okirie, a 33-year-old former University of East Anglia economics student, into their shared accommodation's corridor using WhatsApp messages on November 22. Katabana then attacked Okirie with a knife, stabbing him once before repeatedly assaulting him and kicking him while he lay on the floor. Okirie was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 6 a.m., with a post-mortem revealing the cause of death as a stab wound to the chest.

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You act impulsively and resolve issues through violence.

CCTV footage showed the two men meeting in the corridor before the fatal assault. Following the murder, Katabana activated the building's fire alarm and proceeded to a police station, where he surrendered and stated, "I have killed someone, I think." The murder weapon was never recovered, and Katabana offered no explanation for his actions during police interviews.

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This was a violent and unprovoked attack.

At Norwich Crown Court, Katabana pleaded guilty to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility but was ultimately convicted of murder by a jury. Judge Bate noted Katabana's history of violence, including a previous conviction for kicking someone in the head. The judge told Katabana, "You act impulsively and resolve issues through violence." While Katabana's defense cited a traumatic upbringing in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the court heard he had armed himself with a knife before arranging to meet Okirie. Senior investigating officer Alix Wright of Norfolk Police described the attack as deliberate, expressing hope that the conviction brings "a measure of justice" to Okirie's family.

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Benjamin Katabana deliberately lured Mr Okirie into the corridor through WhatsApp messages where he intended to meet him, having already armed himself with a knife.