Supreme Court Upholds Murder Conviction of John Inyang Okoro

On December 12, 2025, the Supreme Court of Nigeria addressed the appeal of John Inyang Okoro, who was convicted of murder and arson for the deaths of Monday Matthew and Owoidoho Monday Matthew on June 6, 2009, in Ikpe Atai village, Etim Ekpo LGA, Akwa Ibom State. The appellant was sentenced to death by hanging after the High Court found him guilty.

Following the dismissal of his appeal by the Court of Appeal, Okoro escalated the matter to the Supreme Court. The appellant's counsel argued that the Court of Appeal erred by not addressing the competence of the respondent's issue and failing to demonstrate how the trial court applied the six-way test to assess the weight of his retracted extra-judicial statement, which he claimed breached his right to a fair hearing.

The respondent's counsel contended that the Court of Appeal had adequately considered all necessary issues. The appellant also argued that his conviction was solely based on the retracted statement without independent corroborative evidence.