A High Court sitting in Idemili Judicial Division on Monday sentenced a man, Ikechukwu Okoye, to death by hanging for murdering his family friend’s wife and stealing her property. Justice A.O. Okuma, convicted Okoye for murder and theft.
Delivering judgment, Justice Okuma dismissed the claims of self-defence by Okoye.
The court, however, held that the charge of armed robbery could not be sustained because the defendant had killed the deceased before forming the intention to steal her property.
Earlier, the Prosecution, led by Mrs Victoria Ononye-Ekwerekwu, Chief State Counsel; Mrs Florence Abadom-Igweike and Ms Nkiru Nzekwu, Principal State Counsels, told the court that Okoye went to the residence of Mrs Blessing Mba at Abime Village, Oba, on Feb. 22, 2024, to steal a multi-purpose grinding machine.
The prosecution said that an argument ensued between Okoye and the deceased, and Okoye struck Mba on the head with a pestle, which led to her death.
The prosecution said Okoye dragged the deceased’s body into her children’s room, covered it with their clothes and took away her grinding machine and electric generating set.
It said Okoye thereafter boarded a commercial motorcycle to Afor Oba Market with the stolen items.
According to the prosecution, the deceased’s husband, who had earlier taken their children to school, spotted Okoye on the motorcycle with his wife’s grinding machine and generating set.
It said the husband, upon returning home, discovered his wife’s lifeless body in the children’s room and alerted security operatives, who later arrested Okoye at Afor Oba Market with the stolen items.
Okoye in his defence, denied the offence, disowned his extra-judicial statement in which he allegedly admitted committing the offence and pleaded self-defence.(NAN)
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