…As Anambra Police launch manhunt for suspected killers of lawyer, another
A High Court sitting in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi, on Friday sentenced four men to death by hanging for the murder of a 26-year-old businessman, Chinonso Elon.
The state government charged Anthony Elom, Chibueze Onwe, Chukwuemeka Ugadu and Uchenna Odono with conspiracy and murder .
Delivering judgment, Justice Esther Otah, held that the evidence provided by the Prosecution Counsel proved beyond reasonable doubts that the accused were responsible for the crime
Otah added that a forensic check on the gun recovered from the defendants also indicated that it was used last on Feb. 5, 2023.
”May God save your souls,” the judge held.
NAN reports that the prosecution said that on Feb. 6, 2023, the four convicted persons, including one ThankGod Onwe, who is at large, drove a branded Sienna bus , stopped in front of the late Elon’s business area, near Okwo Ngbo Main Market.
The state said that the convicts demanded that the victim, must provide information on the whereabouts of his younger brother whom they reportedly had a misunderstanding with.
”His inability to provide such information about his brother as demanded made them drag him into the Sienna bus.
”Upon his refusal to enter the Sienna, he was shot in the head with a shotgun and he died instantly,” the prosecution said.
After the judgment, Counsel to the convicts, Chinedu Uwa said he will appeal the verdict.
The prosecutor, Mr Oluchi Ibiam of the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice expressed satisfaction with the judgment.
According to her, the verdict was a true reflection of justice.
In another development, the Anambra police command has launched a manhunt for suspected killers of a legal practitioner returning from the court, after securing bail for a defendant in a murder case.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, SP Tochukwu Ikenga disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Awka.
Ikenga said the gunmen also gunned down two others who accompanied the lawyer, but one survived.
He said that the three victims were returning from High Court II Ekwulobia in Orumba North Local Government of the state when the incident occurred.
He said that the legal practitioner had bailed a defendant in a pending murder case at the Court, not knowing that they were trailed as they left the court.
According to the statement, the Commissioner of Police (CP) in Anambra, Ikioye Orutugu, today led a team of senior officers, including the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations and others on a visit to the crime scene at Egbebelu village.
The CP was quoted as having ordered an intensive investigation into the incident and deployed tactical and intelligence teams to track down the perpetrators and ensure justice was served.
“The police spokesperson said preliminary investigations suggested that the victims were attacked while returning from the court session, having been trailed and double-crossed by the assailants.
“In the course of the preliminary investigations, a red Toyota Camry vehicle, believed to belong to one of the deceased, was recovered from the scene,” Ikenga said.
He said that one of the victims who survived the attack is currently receiving medical treatment at an undisclosed hospital.
“The survivor has been debriefed by the police and has provided crucial information that is aiding ongoing investigations and manhunt operations,” he said.
