Nigerian man sentenced to death in Malaysia for murder

A Nigerian national, Ibekwe Emeka Augustine, has been sentenced to death by hanging by the Kuala Lumpur High Court after being found guilty of murdering his four-year-old step-grandson in Malaysia.

The court, on Thursday, ruled that Augustine, 48, caused the child’s death by throwing him from the third floor of an apartment in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, on November 29, 2020.

According to Malaysian daily Berita Harian, Justice K. Muniandy delivered the judgment after considering the totality of evidence presented by the prosecution and defence.

Augustine was charged under Section 302 of Malaysia’s Penal Code for murder, an offence that carries a mandatory death sentence or an alternative punishment of between 30 and 40 years’ imprisonment, with not fewer than 12 strokes of the cane.

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In the same trial, the court also sentenced Augustine to five years’ imprisonment on four other charges, to run concurrently. These included attempting to murder his seven-year-old biological son, intentionally causing grievous hurt to his wife, attempting suicide, and sexually assaulting his stepdaughter. All the offences were committed at the same location and within the same time frame.

The charge of attempted murder of his biological son was brought under Section 307 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine.

For intentionally causing grievous hurt to his wife, who was 48 at the time, Augustine was charged under Section 325 read together with Section 326A of the Penal Code, an offence punishable by up to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine.

The case, which occurred six years ago, shocked residents of the Setapak area and drew widespread public attention in Malaysia due to the brutality of the crimes.