A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has sentenced a man, Charles Baridolee, to death by hanging for killing his friend, Gerald Tekena, during a quarrel in Bodo community, Gokana Local Government Area.
Baridolee was convicted after the court found him guilty of inflicting multiple machete cuts on Tekena in 2024, leading to his death.
According to court proceedings, the convict attacked the deceased after warning him to stop giving financial assistance to his family, alleging that his relatives had begun disrespecting him because of Tekena’s generosity.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Augusta Chukwu held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt through credible evidence and the defendant’s confessional statement.
The judge consequently sentenced Baridolee to death by hanging, declaring that he should be “hanged by the neck until he is confirmed dead.”
Speaking with reporters after the verdict, the Chief Prosecution Counsel from the Rivers State Ministry of Justice, Ordu Precious, hailed the judgment, saying it restored hope to the deceased’s family and reinforced public confidence in the judiciary.
Defence Counsel, Angus Chukwuka, however, described the judgment as “well-considered” but disclosed plans to appeal, stressing that “the case involves the life of a human being.”
