The Tamale High Court, has sentenced a 20-year-old Computer Science student of the University for Development Studies (UDS) to life imprisonment for the murder of a fellow student in what investigators described as a crime fueled by a romantic rivalry.
The convict, Salifu Nko-nya, was found guilty of the murder of a 19-year-old Pharmacy student at UDS. The fatal incident occurred in September 2024 and sent shockwaves through the university community and beyond.
The jury returned a 6-1 verdict in favor of conviction, prompting the court to hand down the life sentence after evaluating the evidence presented throughout the trial.
Details emerging from the court proceedings revealed that the victim was initially believed to have been killed during a robbery. However, police investigations pointed directly to Nko-nya, who became a prime suspect after a series of leads emerged.
Crucial CCTV footage obtained from the vicinity captured the victim being chased into an unfinished building, where he was seen falling before being stabbed repeatedly. The video became a key piece of evidence for the prosecution.
Further damning evidence was uncovered through telecommunications data. Prosecutors revealed that after committing the act, Nko-nya took possession of the victim’s mobile phone, removed the SIM card, and inserted it into his own device. He then used the phone to send deceptive messages, impersonating the deceased.
One such message, sent to a friend of the victim, read: “Charley I go find trouble o, dem go kill me,” which prosecutors said was part of an attempt to throw off suspicion and delay discovery.
Despite the gravity of the charges, Nko-nya reportedly remained expressionless throughout the trial and showed no emotion as the sentence was pronounced.
