Anambra Court Sentences Vigilante Operative to De@th for Murd@r of Phone Repairer

An Anambra State High Court sitting in Ogbaru has sentenced a vigilante operative, Onyeka Eze, to death by hanging for the murd@r of a phone repairer, Anayo Ugbo, at Okpoko Market.
The court, presided over by the Administrative Judge of the Ogbaru Judicial Division, Justice Charles Okaa, convicted Eze, who hails from Enueiji in Ika North Local Government Area of Delta State.
The victim, Ugbo, was from Ogboji Ezzagu in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The prosecution, led by the Assistant Chief State Counsel in the Anambra State Ministry of Justice, Mrs Chinyere Aganama-Onyeze, told the court that the incident occurred on May 5, 2022, at Shoe Site Market in Okpoko.
She said the deceased, who was repairing a phone at the market, was summoned by the defendant—said to be a vigilante operative—to meet their boss.
According to the prosecution, when Ugbo asked for time to finish repairing the phone, the defendant refused and insisted that he accompany him to their office, a three-storey building belonging to a security outfit operating in the market.
The prosecution said the defendant also ordered the customer whose phone Ugbo was repairing, Mr Joshua Igwe, to follow them to the office.
The court heard that on arrival at the office, the vigilante boss was not present, and the deceased pleaded to return to his shop to continue his work.
However, the defendant allegedly demanded that Ugbo pay money over a previous fight that had occurred in the market.
The deceased declined, stating that he was not involved in the incident.
The prosecution further stated that the defendant, angered by the refusal, assaulted the deceased and pushed him from the third floor of the building.
The victim sustained severe head injuries and later died two days afterwards at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi.
During the trial, the prosecution presented four witnesses, including an eyewitness, a medical doctor who conducted the post-mortem examination, and a police inspector.
The deceased’s brother, Sunday Ugbo, also testified that the victim narrated the incident to him in the presence of the eyewitness before he died.
Although the defendant maintained his innocence and testified in his defence, the court held that he failed to prove that he was an authorised vigilante operative.
Delivering judgment, Justice Okaa ruled that the prosecution had established the offence of murd@r against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt and consequently sentenced him to de@th by hanging.