A 28-year-old Congolese man, Benjamin Katabana, has been found guilty of m¥rdering Nigerian student Uchenna Okirie following a fatal st@bbing at a shared accommodation in Norwich, England.
According to Norfolk Police, Katabana was convicted by a jury at Norwich Crown Court after an 11-day trial. The attack occurred on November 22, 2025, at Somerleyton House, where both men lived.
Investigators said Katabana handed himself in shortly after the incident, reportedly telling officers, “I have k+lled someone, I think.”
Police said CCTV footage showed Okirie using his phone in a communal corridor when Katabana, armed with a knife, launched what was described as a sustained att@ck. Okirie later d+ed from a st@b wo¥nd to the chest despite efforts to save him.
Katabana denied m¥rder but admitted mansla¥ghter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, with his defence citing a traumatic upbringing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, the jury rejected the argument and returned a murder verdict.
Senior Investigating Officer Alix Wright described the k+lling as “a vi%lent and unprovoked att@ck,” alleging that Katabana lured Okirie into the corridor through WhatsApp messages before carrying out the assault.
“Our thoughts remain with Uche’s family, and we hope this conviction provides them with a measure of justice for their loss,” Wright added.
The m¥rder we@pon was never recovered, and a sentencing date is yet to be fixed.
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