Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A 28-year-old Congolese national, Benjamin Katabana, has been found guilty of murdering a Nigerian postgraduate student following a brutal stabbing in a shared residential facility in Norwich, a jury at Norwich Crown Court ruled on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. The victim, Uchenna Okirie, a 33-year-old Nigerian national and former student at the University of East Anglia (UEA), died from a single stab wound to the chest that pierced his windpipe and aorta on November 22, 2025. According to a statement released by Norfolk Police on Thursday, June 4, Katabana had denied the murder charge but pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, citing a traumatic upbringing in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo. The jury, however, rejected this defence after an 11‑day trial and returned a unanimous verdict of guilty for murder.
The attack unfolded in the early hours of November 22, 2025, at Somerleyton House, off Unthank Road in Norwich’s Golden Triangle, a residential block housing both students and professionals. Police were called to the scene at approximately 5:22 a.m. following reports of a suspected stabbing. Despite the efforts of emergency responders, Okirie was pronounced dead at 6:01 a.m. The prosecution, led by Andrew Jackson, told the court that the fatal encounter was preceded by a series of goading WhatsApp messages in which Katabana made repeated demands for Okirie to step into the communal corridor. Just 28 seconds before the attack, Okirie messaged to confirm he was leaving his flat. CCTV footage captured the entire incident: Okirie stood in the corridor using his mobile phone when Katabana, visibly armed with a knife, launched a sustained and brutal assault. Having stabbed Okirie once in the upper back, Katabana continued to rain blows on his fallen victim, stamping and kicking him in the head with such ferocity that prosecutors described the victim as having “no chance.” The murder weapon was never recovered. After the attack, Katabana activated the building’s fire alarm, walked through the city to Bethel Street police station, and handed himself in, reportedly telling officers, “I have killed someone, I think.” In subsequent police interviews, he answered “no comment” to all questions about his actions.
Katabana came to the United Kingdom in 2010 as a child refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he lost both his parents and a sister to the region’s protracted conflict. He was a former pupil of the Hewett School in Norwich. His defence team, led by Stephen Rose KC, argued that the killing was a violent loss of control directly attributable to the deep psychological scars of his traumatic childhood, seeking a conviction on the lesser charge of manslaughter. However, the prosecution successfully painted a picture of a deliberate and premeditated act. Senior Investigating Officer Alix Wright of Norfolk Police said outside court, “This was a violent and unprovoked attack. Benjamin Katabana deliberately lured Mr Okirie into the corridor through WhatsApp messages, where he intended to meet him, having already armed himself with a knife. Our thoughts remain with Uche’s family, and we hope this conviction provides them with a measure of justice for their loss.”
Okirie, widely known by his nickname “Common Man,” was a former postgraduate student at UEA’s School of International Development and volunteered with the British Red Cross. Colleagues and friends described him as a compassionate and gentle soul. His sudden and violent death sent shockwaves through the local Nigerian diaspora. In the months following the killing, the Nigerian Community Norwich launched a GoFundMe campaign titled “Rest in Peace, Uche: Help Us Return Him to His Family” to repatriate his remains to Nigeria for burial, as he had no immediate family members in the United Kingdom. The fundraiser highlighted that he was a “remarkable soul, steady, genuine, and deeply compassionate.” His devastated family said they were “working together to honour him with dignity.” A sentencing date for Katabana has not yet been fixed by the court. He remains in custody.
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