A Ghanaian student in the UK, Kwabena Osei-Poku was murdered by a Nigerian colleague, Melvin Lebaga-Idubor, the Northhampton Crown Court has ruled.
Lebaga-Idubor was convicted of murder and possession of a knife and would be sentenced by the same court in January.
The court heard that Kwabena Osei-Poku, 19 and Melvin Lebaga-Idubor, also 19, were both students of Northampton University and also drug dealers.
Both sold cannabis aside from their usual academic duties.
In April, the Nigerian and a compatriot, Ogechi Eke, also 19, told Kwabena they wanted to buy some drugs from him.
Kwabena Osei-Poku
Unknown to the Ghanaian they were also drug dealers and robbed him of his stash worth £1,000 and warned him to stop selling drugs on their territory.
Kwabena Osei-Poku chased the two to attempt to retrieve his drugs and that’s when Melvin stabbed him twice in the neck.
He was taken to hospital but died. CCTV footage also showed Melvin in the aftermath of the stabbing seeking medical help.
After a 6-week trial, the court found him guilty of murder and possession of a knife but found Eze not guilty of both charges as well as an additional manslaughter charge.
In a tribute to her son, Kwabena’s mom Joyce said she has lost the most precious thing in her life.
“Alfred was my oldest son. He always made me feel valuable and special, especially on Mother’s Day. He was the one that I would normally share secret ideas with, someone I could always talk to in confidence.
“He was always there if I needed time off or to go away, he would always volunteer to care for his younger siblings. When he looked at you, it was like he could see into your soul. He was genuinely a joy to our home and a precious individual to our family, friends and his community.
“I have lost something that nothing on this earth can replace.”
