A UK court has sentenced 28-year-old Congolese national, Benjamin Katabana, to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 20 years, for the murder of his Nigerian roommate identified as Uchenna Okirie.
Katabana was convicted of murder after a jury rejected his plea of guilty to manslaughter following a fatal knife attack on 33-year-old Okirie, a University of East Anglia Economics graduate.
The Police held that a CCTV footage showed the two men meeting in a communal corridor in a Norwich, after Katabana allegedly lured Okirie there through WhatsApp messages. Police said Okirie appeared to be using his phone when Katabana launched the attack.
Katabana stabbed Okirie in the chest before repeatedly attacking him and kicking him in the head, Okirie was left face down on the floor and was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 6:00 a.m.
After the attack, the offender activated the building’s fire alarm before walking through Norwich to Bethel Street Police Station, where he surrendered to officers. Upon arriving at the station, he reportedly told police: “I have killed someone, I think.”
At Norwich Crown Court on Tuesday, Judge Bate said Katabana had acted impulsively and had a history of resolving issues through violence. The judge also noted that the attack occurred in the victim’s home, leaving Okirie with little opportunity to anticipate or defend himself.
*You act impulsively and resolve issues through violence,” the judge told Katabana during sentencing.
The court heard that Katabana had five previous convictions for seven offences, including an earlier incident in which he kicked a person in the head while the victim was lying on the floor following an assault.
Katabana’s defence argued that his actions were linked to a traumatic upbringing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, during police interviews, he provided no explanation for the killing and repeatedly responded “no comment” when questioned about the incident.
The knife used in the attack was never recovered.
Okirie, popularly known as Uche, was a graduate of the University of East Anglia, where he studied Economics. Police said a stab wound to the chest was established as the cause of his death.
Following the conviction, senior investigating officer Alix Wright of Norfolk Police described the killing as a “violent and unprovoked attack.”
Wright said Katabana had deliberately lured Okirie into the corridor through WhatsApp messages, having already armed himself with a knife before the encounter.
She expressed sympathy for Okirie’s family, saying police hoped the conviction would provide them with some measure of justice for their loss.
Katabana will serve a minimum of 20 years in prison before he can be considered for release.