"The vexed question of retraction of confessional extra judicial statements, by
accused persons, has engaged the attention of our Courts over the years.
Generally, it is settled law, that there is no evidence stronger than a person's own
admission or confession of his complicity in the offence for which he is arraigned
in Court for trial. Therefore, the Court can convict on such a confession by an
accused person. Golden Dibie & Ors. v. The State (2007) 3 SCNJ 160. And there is
nothing esoteric or strange about resiling from or denying/retracting a
confessional statement by an accused person. It is not unnatural that at the
earliest phase of the commission of an offence, the sense or feeling of guilt
weighs more on the mind of the offender, but with passage of time, his mind gets
toughened again which invariably leads to an afterthought and eventual
retraction of the earlier confessional statement that was made by him. Hence,
soon after the offence, their consciences are more pricked and so they are
goaded to be truthful in their extra-judicial statements. The important thing of
consideration for the Court, is that if it is convinced that the confession of guilt
was freely and voluntarily made and the Court is satisfied as to its truth, the
accused person can be convicted on it. Akpan v. The State (2001) 15 N.W.L.R. (pt.
737) 745. The above notwithstanding, the Supreme Court had held in a plethora
of authorities to the effect that it is expedient and desirable that where an
accused person has denied making the confessional statement, the trial Court
should look for some evidence, however slight, outside the confession to confirm
that it was a true confession. Emmanuel Nwaebonyi v. The State (1994) 5
N.W.L.R. (pt. 343) 138; Effiong v. The State (1998) 8 N.W.L.R. (pt. 562) 362;
Golden Dibie & 2 Ors. v. The State (2007) 3 SCNJ 160 at 171 - 172; Osetola v. The
State (2012) ALL FWLR (pt. 649) 1020; Osuagwu v. The State (2013) 1 S.C.N.J 33 at