A High Court in Anambra State has sentenced a commercial tricycle operator, Makua Ezike, to death by hanging after finding him guilty of the murder of Jude Onwuegbuchunam during a failed “one-chance” robbery operation.
Justice Lauretta Oyeka delivered the judgment after the court established that Ezike played a central role in the attack that led to the death of the victim, an indigene of Umuoji in Idemili North Local Government Area.
According to court records, the incident occurred on November 17, 2019, along the Oba-Obosi-Nkpor-Umuoji Road.
Ezike, alongside two accomplices who remain at large, allegedly disguised themselves as a commercial tricycle rider and passengers before luring the unsuspecting victim into the vehicle.
The court heard that the gang attempted to dispossess Onwuegbuchunam of his mobile phone and other valuables during the journey.
However, when he resisted and raised an alarm, the attackers pushed him out of the moving tricycle near Abidi Hall in Umuoji.
Vigilante operatives stationed in the area reportedly pursued the suspects immediately after the incident.
During the chase, Ezike and his accomplices abandoned the tricycle and fled the scene.
Evidence presented before the court showed that Ezike returned to retrieve the abandoned vehicle the following day but was apprehended by local vigilante operatives and subsequently handed over to the police.
Investigators later obtained a confessional statement from him.
The victim sustained severe injuries from the fall and died two days after the attack.
During the trial, the prosecution called five witnesses, including the medical doctor who conducted the post-mortem examination.
The doctor testified that the injuries sustained by the deceased directly caused his death.
Although the defence argued that there was no eyewitness account linking the defendant to the crime, Justice Oyeka ruled that a conviction could be secured through direct evidence, confessional statements or compelling circumstantial evidence.
The judge held that the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubt, noting that the abandoned tricycle, the defendant’s conduct after the incident, his confession and the medical findings collectively pointed to his guilt.
Consequently, the court convicted Ezike of murder and sentenced him to death by hanging.