On Friday, an Akwa Ibom High Court sentenced Nkereuwem Emah to death by hanging for the murder of his pregnant wife.
Emah, 52, of Mbiabam in the state's Ibiono Ibom local government area, is accused of butchering his 12-year-old wife to death while asleep at their home on February 12, 2018, over allegations of infidelity.
Justice Nkanang, the trial court, branded the act as a "callous, incomprehensible, and unjustifiable debasement of the marriage institution" in a one-hour ruling.
"The type of the weapon used by the accused person to vent his wrath at the victim is a clear indicator that the accused person plainly intended to kill the deceased," he said.
The verdict came after a four-year trial in which the prosecution brought three witnesses, one of them was the deceased's 10-year-old son, Christian Sylvanus Etim, who described how their father murdered their mother.
According to the witness, his father worked as a mechanic for the State Water Board at the time, and on that occasion, he used a large matchet to sever his mother's neck while she slept in their home.
According to Section 339(2) of the Criminal Procedure Law, Cap 39, Laws of Akwa Ibom State, the trial judge found the accused guilty of the crime and condemned him to death.
The accused had previously requested the court to temper justice with pity and allow him another chance to return home and care for his five children in his petition for mercy.