Court Sentences Four To Death By Hanging In Rivers

A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, last Wednesday, sentenced four persons, Zakariah Dauda, Inah-inah Edet, Sunday Pius, and Isaac Marcus, to death by hanging for the gruesome murder of late Mrs. Esther Edomobi at her residence in Cocaine Estate in Rumuogba, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state in 2008.
The four convicts have been standing trial since 2008 for conspiracy, armed robbery and murder of Mrs. Edomobi, who was the employer of the 1st accused, Zakariah Dauda.
He was employed as a security guard in her residence on May 24, 2008.
Trial Judge, Weli Chechey, found the four defendants guilty as charged, for conspiring amongst themselves to murder the deceased, and cart away her property and cash worth millions of Naira.
The judge ruled that the evidence presented before the court showed that the defendants killed Edomobi in a gruesome manner, by hitting her hard several times across the face, which tore her face open, and plugged out her right eye socket.
Chechey held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, and thereby convicted them to death by hanging on the neck.
The prosecuting counsel, Nathaniel Ukotije-Mbaba, who is from the Rivers State Ministry of Justice, described the judgement as sound, saying that the decision has served justice for the dead and living.
“The judgement bordered on offences of conspiracy, murder, and armed robbery. The state preferred information against the four defendants.
“The judgement was able to cover everything, even issues that lawyers did not canvass. The court was able to cover them, so that should the defendants want to test this judgement on an appeal, there would be no room for that,” he said.
But counsel to the defendants, Comfort Amadi, expressed displeasure, and disclosed that they would appeal the judgement.
She said: “It is quite painful; the court has taken its decision. Though my clients have spent 14 years in prison, before the judgement, and they have been coming to court, but in as much as it has turned out this way, we still have to appeal, and see what happens thereafter.”
Meanwhile, the deceased’s husband, Boniface Edomobi has thanked the court for the judgement, which he said, had wiped away tears of many years.
He said: “I feel great and I thank God. My late wife’s spirit is very strong, and she fought this battle immediately they killed her; she followed our security man to Imo river where he offered police about $8, 000, as a bribe but the policemen declined and handcuffed him; and that was how others were caught.
“You can see that some prominent people that have been assassinated in this country, their assailants cannot be traced. But in her case, within one hour, they were just picked like fowl from the estate. And today, they have been sentenced to death.
“So, I thank God and the judge who swore that he will see to the end of this matter, which he has delivered, today.
“God has been so faithful to me and my children because it has not been easy coping without my wife.”