A High Court sitting at Asaba, the Delta State capital, has sentenced one Onuwa Ijie to death while his accomplice, Nwanozie Uzor, bagged 14 years imprisonment for murder and conspiracy to murder twin boys, Chidalu and Chigozie Agwunobi.
The court presided over by Justice Onome Marshal Umukoro sentenced the two over the murder of the seven-year-old boys.
The prosecution conducted by a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Paula Akpoguma, in proof of the case called five witnesses.
The sixth witness, 15-year-old Iweka Ajie, a younger brother to one of the defendants who came to testify via video link but at the last minute out of fear, refused to adopt his deposition on oath.
The court held that the testimony of the other five witnesses proved the case against the two defendants beyond reasonable doubt.
The prosecution stated that tragedy struck the family of Olise Agwunobi of Oko-Ogbele Community on March 5, 2020 when their seven- year-old twin boys were lured by the defendants to a bush and proceeded to cut off their penis, eyes, tongues and hands which they hurriedly took to a native doctor at Aguleri in Anambra State.
“One of the defendants had earlier gone to the school of the twin children to take them but was turned down by the school teacher, one Mrs Emelda Ogugua Ezekwude,” she said.
Delivering his judgment, Justice Onome Marshal-Umukoro stated that after carefully evaluating the evidence presented before him, the prosecution had discharged the burden of proof as the first defendant from his confessional statement was the person who sowed the seed of committing human rituals in the mind of the second defendant by giving the phone number of one Chukwudi Edemuzor who was alleged to be searching for twins to kill for money.
The court maintained that the law is settled that the testimony of an Investigating Police Officer was not hearsay evidence and the court could rely on it.
Speaking with journalists after the Judgment on Tuesday, the prosecuting counsel, Mrs. Paula Akpoguma, thanked the court for upholding the course of justice, “reaffirming that the judicial system works.”
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