This story broke recently, do it happened in the 50s but it got Nigerians talking. Some interesting details can be seen... Especially the fact that protest in the lady's favor started from the north. This goes to show how united we were in those days.
Read up the interesting piece of story.
Ada Esther Johnson, popularly known back in the 50s as Ada Ocha Ntu pictured with her lover, Maurice Hall, whom she murdered in 1953 after she found out he used the 400pounds she loaned him for business, to go to England and marry an English bride. According to history,
Hall used part of Ada’s money to buy his new bride a car which she would use to start a transport business in the UK.
One night in 1952, a 24 year old Nigerian woman stabbed her English boyfriend to death in his bungalow in Ibadan. The murder, committed in a fit of
anger and jealousy gained national attention. But as the trial progressed and details of the case emerged sympathy for the woman spread across the nation.
The case of the murder of Maurice Hall, a Railway locomotive Engineer by Esther Johnson later became a national issue.
The Prosecution
The prosecution argued that Esther Johnson (real name Ada Ocha Ntu) stabbed Maurice Hall because she had found out on his return from leave to the UK he had married another girl in England. In her rush of anger she stabbed him to death.
The Defence
The defence pleaded provocation; that Esther Johnson had given him £400 to purchase a taxi for her but when he returned she discovered he spent the money on his wedding.
The court found Esther Johnson guilty of murder on June 18, 1953 and sentenced her to death.
Clemency was granted six months later and the death penalty was commuted to life imprisonment.
The Public
The public were not willing to accept she deserved life imprisonment and there were protests all over Nigeria especially in Kano, Jos and Ibadan.
On the 1st of October 1961 on the occasion of the first anniversary of Nigeria's Independence and after spending 3,028 days in prison she was pardoned by the Governor General, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and released from jail.
“Esther’s Revenge” at the Freedom Park in Lagos is named after her
She later got married to a policeman, Mr Joshua Ayeni on April 23rd, 1964.
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