A High Court sitting in Ogbaru Judicial Division of Anambra State has sentenced a vigilante operative, Onyeka Eze, to death by hanging for the murder of a phone repairer, Anayo Ugbo, at Okpoko Market.
Delivering the judgment, the Administrative Judge of the court, Justice Charles Okaa, found the defendant guilty of murder and ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.
According to Angel Network News, the convict, who hails from Enueiji in Delta State, was charged for killing Ugbo, a native of Ogboji Ezzagu in Ebonyi State.
The prosecution, led by Assistant Chief State Counsel in the Anambra State Ministry of Justice, Chinyere Aganama-Onyeze, told the court that the incident occurred on May 5, 2022, at Shoe Site Market.
The court heard that the deceased was repairing a customer’s phone in the market when the defendant summoned him to meet their vigilante boss. When Ugbo requested time to finish fixing the phone, the defendant allegedly refused and insisted that he follow him immediately to their office, located in a three-storey building belonging to a security outfit in the market.
The prosecution said the defendant also ordered the phone owner, Joshua Igwe, to accompany them to the office.
On arrival, the vigilante boss was reportedly not present. Ugbo then pleaded to return to his shop to complete his work. However, the defendant allegedly demanded that the deceased pay money over a previous fight that occurred in the market, which Ugbo denied any involvement in.
The prosecution stated that the defendant, angered by the refusal, assaulted the victim and pushed him from the third floor of the building.
Ugbo sustained severe head injuries and was rushed to the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital in Nnewi, where he later died two days after the incident.
During the trial, the prosecution presented four witnesses, including an eyewitness, the medical doctor who conducted the post-mortem examination, and a police inspector.
The deceased’s brother, Sunday Ugbo, also testified before the court, stating that the victim narrated the incident to him in the presence of the eyewitness before his death.
Although the defendant maintained his innocence during the trial, the court held that he failed to prove he was an authorised vigilante operative.
Justice Okaa consequently ruled that the prosecution had successfully established the offence of murder against the defendant and sentenced him to death by hanging in accordance with the law.
