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A UK court has sentenced 28-year-old Benjamin Katabana to life imprisonment for murdering his Nigerian roommate, Uchenna Okirie, in Norwich.
Katabana was handed a minimum term of 20 years after being convicted of murdering the 33-year-old former University of East Anglia economics student.
According to the BBC report, Katabana lured Okirie into the communal corridor of their shared accommodation through WhatsApp messages before attacking him.
The incident occurred at Somerleyton House on Somerleyton Street, Norwich, on November 22, with CCTV capturing the two men meeting shortly before the attack.
Norfolk Constabulary said Okirie was using his phone when Katabana attacked him with a knife, stabbing him before launching further blows and kicking him while he was on the floor.
Okirie was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 6am. A post-mortem examination later established that he died from a stab wound to the chest.
Following the killing, Katabana activated the building’s fire alarm before walking to Bethel Street Police Station, where he surrendered to officers.
He reportedly told the police, “I have killed someone, I think.”
The murder weapon was not recovered. Katabana also declined to explain his actions during police interviews, repeatedly responding, “no comment”.
At Norwich Crown Court, Katabana initially pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, but a jury subsequently convicted him of murder.
Sentencing him to life imprisonment, Judge Bate ordered that Katabana serve at least 20 years before he can be considered for release.
The court heard that Katabana had five previous convictions for seven offences, including an earlier incident in which he kicked a person in the head while they were lying on the floor after an assault.
“You act impulsively and resolve issues through violence,” the judge told him.
Katabana’s defence argued that his actions were connected to a traumatic upbringing in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
However, the court heard that he had already armed himself with a knife before contacting Okirie and arranging to meet him.
Senior investigating officer Alix Wright of Norfolk Police described the killing as a deliberate and unprovoked attack.
“This was a violent and unprovoked attack,” Wright said, adding that Katabana had deliberately lured Okirie into the corridor after arming himself with a knife.
Wright expressed sympathy for Okirie’s family and said police hoped the conviction would provide them with a measure of justice following his death.
Okirie, who was 33 when he was killed, had studied economics at the University of East Anglia.
The court heard that the fatal confrontation occurred inside the accommodation where he lived and that he was taken by surprise when Katabana confronted him.
Katabana will therefore remain in prison for a minimum of 20 years before becoming eligible for consideration for release under the terms of his life sentence.
