The Ebonyi State High Court sitting in Ohaukwu Judicial Division sentenced four young men to death by hanging, including Uchenna Odono, a younger brother to the Chairman of Ohaukwu Local Government Area.
Justice Esther Otah found Uchenna Odono, Anthony Elom (aka Tidy), Chibueze Onwe (aka Chief oo), and Chukwuemeka Ugah (aka Parity) guilty of conspiracy and murder in the killing that occurred on February 5, 2023.
The court held that the four, alongside one ThankGod Onwe who is currently at large, drove a branded Sienna bus linked to a known political party to Ndulo Umuogudu Akpu road in Ohaukwu. They reportedly stopped in front of Oscar’s business place, close to Okwo Ngbo Main Market, and brutally murdered him.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Otah stated that the prosecution, led by Oluchi Ibiam of the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice, had proven the case beyond reasonable doubt, backed by eyewitness testimonies and forensic evidence.
“The evidence before this court clearly points to the fact that these four men acted together with a common purpose to kill the deceased,” Justice Otah said.
She emphasized that although it was Anthony Elom who pulled the trigger, all four shared responsibility for the murder. “They formed a common intention to prosecute the unlawful purpose, and they are all liable for the outcome of that purpose. That one of them was the first to shoot the victim is immaterial.”
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The judge revealed that a forensic test conducted on the gun used in the attack confirmed it was last fired on the day of the murder, further tying the accused to the crime.
In delivering the sentencing, Justice Otah addressed each convict solemnly:
“Anthony Elom a.k.a Tidy, you will be hanged with rope until you die. May God save your soul. Chibueze Onwe a.k.a Chief oo, you will be hanged with rope until you die. May God save your soul. Chukwuemeka Ugah a.k.a Parity, you will be hanged with rope until you die. May God save your soul. Uchenna Odono, you will be hanged with rope until you die. May God save your soul.”
Reacting to the judgment, the defendants’ counsel, Chinedu Uwa, expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling, vowing to appeal the decision.
However, the prosecuting counsel, Oluchi Ibiam, alongside other lawyers from Ohaukwu Local Government Area, Barr. Chinedu Ugadu and Barr. Chinedu Ituma, hailed the judgment as a reflection of true justice.
