Kalu in his statement told the general court marshal that he did not when he killed Sholape. The statement was read out by MA Umoh, a flight lieutenant after Kalu’s conviction. Kalu said he had suspected his late girlfriend was having a love affairs with another man even after he promised to propose marriage to her before his mother.
Umoh while reading the findings of the judge advocate on the matter said Kalu noted that he however introduced the late air woman as a lover to his mother. He said he did not succeed at proposing to her as previously promised.
He added that the night before he committed the crime, his mother had advised him to focus on his exams rather than think about marriage. He said he (Kalu) began noticing that his late girlfriend was withdrawing from him. he apologized and they continued on a good note until during Sholape’s last birthday in February, when they had a fight over his inability to make a gift presentation to her. The issue was however, settled amicable.
But March 11, he said he had gone to Compound 9, Corporal and Below Quarters where Sholape had just gotten an accommodation when she introduced him to another man Samuel Echo. Kalu said he immediately suspected Sholape was having a relationship with Echo. He noted that he found time alone to scroll through Sholape’s phone to see questionable chats on her phone.
He said as soon as Sholape walked in from the kitchen where she was making food, she got angry and queried why he was going through her phone. But inquiring about the chats on her phone, Kalu said Sholape answered, “now you know, so what else.” Kalu said he got angry, immediately started having a headache and had no option than to go back to his house to sleep.
He said he later got hold of himself after he was told he had killed his girlfriend. The also denied killing Sholape. However, the president of court martial group captain Elisha Bindul found Kalu guilty in six out of the eight-count charges levelled against him. Bindul sentenced him to death by hanging, subject to the confirmation of the judgement by the conveying authority.