A 42-year-old farmer from Kankyi-Akura, near Nkwanta in the Oti Region, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a High Court in Ho for the murder of his pregnant wife.
Simon Kwabena, who was convicted on Monday, May 12, 2025, was found guilty of killing his 30-year-old wife, Lasim Nignen, by inflicting multiple cutlass wounds on her during a violent altercation that occurred five years ago.
Although Kwabena pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder, he admitted to causing the injuries, claiming that his wife had annoyed him by insulting him.
The court, presided over by Justice Charity Asem, heard that the incident happened on May 20, 2020, at about 4:30 p.m. A Senior State Attorney, Andrews Dodzi Adugu, who represented the state, told the court that after the attack, the local assembly member reported the matter to police and described how Kwabena had butchered the woman before fleeing into a nearby bush.
Police officers who arrived at the scene found the woman severely wounded and rushed her to St. Joseph Hospital in Nkwanta, where she was declared dead on arrival. Medical staff also confirmed that the unborn baby had died.
The assembly member later led the police to Kwabena’s hideout, where he was found lying on the ground after stabbing himself. He was arrested and treated under police guard.
A post-mortem examination conducted on the body of Lasim Nignen revealed that she died from hemorrhagic shock, multiple lacerations, and trauma consistent with a violent assault. Her body was later released to the family for burial.
During the trial, a witness testified to seeing Kwabena attacking his wife with a cutlass. When she attempted to intervene, the witness said Kwabena chased her away with the weapon.
Kwabena reportedly showed no emotion when the court handed down the life sentence and he was led away to begin serving his term.
