A 19-year-old Nigerian, recently convicted of manslaughter for fatally stabbing a Ghanaian colleague, made an attempt to flee to Nigeria immediately after the April 2023 incident.

As detailed in a Northampton Police statement on November 22 regarding the guilty verdict against Melvin Lebaga-Idubor, it was revealed that he had endeavored to escape to Lagos just hours after the altercation that resulted in the stabbing of Kwabena Osei-Poku.

The statement highlighted that he had orchestrated the escape plan in collaboration with his girlfriend and another friend, opting to travel by train to Paris with the intention of catching a connecting flight.

Police account of the botched escape:

After the incident, Lebaga-Idubor enlisted the help of his girlfriend, 19-year-old Zhanae Forbes-Coleman from Northampton, and a friend, 18-year-old Antonio Huian, also from Northampton, to aid in his escape.

Huian accompanied him to the hospital, citing "injuries sustained during the altercation with Kwabena," but they left without Lebaga-Idubor receiving any medical treatment. The clothes he wore during the fatal incident were subsequently burned in a metal bin in Huian's back garden.

Following this, Forbes-Coleman arrived with a fresh set of clothes and documents, arranging transportation for Lebaga-Idubor to make a stop at his London address before boarding the Eurostar to Paris. Although he successfully reached the French capital with intentions to continue traveling to Nigeria, he was eventually persuaded to return home and subsequently arrested.

Both Lebaga-Idubor and Eke were charged with murder and possession of an offensive weapon, while Huian and Forbes-Coleman faced charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Outcome of trial of four accused:

After a six-week trial at Northampton Crown Court concluding on Wednesday, November 22, Lebaga-Idubor was convicted of murder and possession of a knife.

Eke, on the other hand, was acquitted of the same charges and additionally cleared of a further count of manslaughter.

Forbes-Coleman was found not guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Huian had previously pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice at an earlier court hearing.

The sentencing for Lebaga-Idubor and Huian is scheduled to take place at the same court on a date to be confirmed in January, following the preparation of pre-sentence reports.

What led to the fracas and death

According to a report on northants.police.uk, Ogechi Eke and his accomplice, Melvin Lebaga-Idubor, engaged in an altercation with Kwabena Osei-Poku on April 24, 2023, over a substantial quantity of cannabis. The report reveals that the two Nigerians had initially approached the victim, expressing interest in purchasing drugs from him.

Upon meeting at a university flat, Eke and Lebaga-Idubor changed their intentions and decided to steal the drugs, warning Osei-Poku against selling in the area. This decision sparked a fight, during which an eyewitness reportedly heard Lebaga-Idubor assert, "This is my strip. What are you doing strutting drugs around here? Our line is here."

Lebaga-Idubor managed to snatch the drugs from the victim, and he and Eke left the campus. Osei-Poku pursued them to retrieve his drugs, leading to an altercation on New South Bridge Road, where Lebaga-Idubor stabbed him twice.

Despite paramedics' best efforts to save him, Osei-Poku succumbed to his injuries at the scene. Northamptonshire Police released a compilation of CCTV footage showing the victim following the accused individuals on the street. The video depicts the two Nigerians running away from the attack site and later entering a building, with one seen assisting the other, who was injured.