The Ebonyi State High Court, Ohaukwu Judicial Division, has sentenced four persons to death by hanging for murdering a 26-year-old man, Chinonso Elom, in the state.
The court found the convicts guilty of conspiracy and murder of the victim popularly known as Oscar.
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The victim, Mr Elom, was murdered on 5 February 2023 in Ngbo, a community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the slain victim and the four convicts hail from the same Ohaukwu Local Government Area in the South-eastern state.
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The convicts and how they murdered the victim
The convicted persons were Anthony Elom (a.k.a Tidy), Chibueze Onwe (a.k.a Chief oo), Chukwuemeka Ugah (a.k.a Parity) and Uchenna Odono.
Uchenna is a younger brother to the Chairperson of Ohaukwu Local Government Area, Ikechukwu Odono.
This newspaper learned that the four convicted persons, on 5 February 2023, drove a Sienna vehicle branded with a campaign image and belonging to a known political party in the state.
The convicts, who were in the vehicle in company of a certain ThankGod Onwe, headed to Ndulo Umuogudu Akpu Road in the area before stopping in front of the late Chinonso’s business area, near Okwo Ngbo Main Market in the area.
Witnesses said the five men who were believed to be members of a cult group demanded that their victim, Chinonso Elom, must provide information on the whereabouts of his younger brother whom they reportedly had a misunderstanding with.
Because Chinonso was unable to provide such information, they attempted to drag him into the Sienna vehicle.
When he refused to enter the Sienna vehicle, Anthony Elom, one of the five men, shot him on the head with a shotgun and he died instantly.
The death of Mr Elom caused a pandemonium leading to a peaceful protest by Ngbo youths who demanded that the killers be arrested and prosecuted.
Four of the suspects, now convicts, who could be recognised at the time by some witnesses, were subsequently arrested by police operatives while the fifth person, Mr Onwe, fled.
They were later charged to court for murder of the victim.
Judgement
Delivering judgement on Wednesday, Justice Esther Otah, held that the evidence provided by the prosecuting counsel and the testimony of witnesses proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused were responsible for the killing of the late Elom.
Ms Otah ruled that the arguments of the defendants were not enough to exonerate them from the crime.
She added that a forensic check on the gun which was later recovered from the killers also indicated that it matched the bullet used to kill Mr Elom.
Justice Otah explained that she did not single out Anthony Elom who shot the victim but convicted all of them because they all formed a common intention to carry out the “unlawful purpose.”
The judge stressed that the convicts are liable for the “eventful outcome of the unlawful purpose” they pursued and that the fact that one of them shot the victim was immaterial.
Lawyers react
Reacting, counsel to the defendants, Chinedu Uwa, said he was not satisfied with the judgement.
Mr Uwa, a lawyer, vowed that he would appeal the judgement.
But the prosecuting team led by Oluchi Ibiam of the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice expressed satisfaction with the judgement and maintained that the verdict by the judge was a true reflection of justice.
Other members of the prosecuting team Chinedu Ugadu and Chinedu Ituma, also lawyers, were also present in the court during the trial.
On his part, the President of the Amalgamated Ngboejeogu Youth, Michael Odo, expressed mixed feelings at the judgement.
Mr Odo, a lawyer, said the murder of the late Elom was evidence of the level of decay in the society.
He added that the judgement should serve as a deterrent to youths who still indulge in cultism and other criminalities.
“This judgment does not call for celebration. It is a sad reminder of a terrible decay in our society,” he said.
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“Those who were sentenced to death today are made up of two persons from Ngbo and two persons from Ezzangbo who could have added value to the society but chose the wrong path of criminality and ended up as a reference point in infamy.”
Recalling the protest which was triggered by the victim’s murder, Mr Odo commended youths and leaders of various communities in the area who took part in the protest which culminated in the arrest and trial of the now convicted individuals.
“Time is changing fast in Ngbo and cultism is becoming outdated and a nuisance. We call on all political leaders and youths in Ngbo to rise up and condemn cultism in all its ramifications and in the strongest terms.
He added, “We pray that today’s judgment will teach the hard lesson it was intended to teach the youths of Ohaukwu Local Government Area. “
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