A High Court in Ebonyi State has sentenced Uchenna Odono, the younger brother of the Chairman of Ohaukwu Local Government Area, Ikechukwu Odono, alongside three others to death by hanging for the murder of a 26-year-old man, Chinonso Elom, popularly known as Oscar.
The convicts—Odono, Anthony Elom, Chibueze Onwe, and Chukwuemeka Ugah—were found guilty of conspiracy and murder by the Ebonyi State High Court, Ohaukwu Judicial Division. Delivering the judgment, Justice Esther Otah ruled that evidence presented by the prosecution, including eyewitness accounts, proved beyond reasonable doubt that the four men were responsible for Elom’s death, which occurred on February 5, 2023.
The court heard that the assailants, along with a fifth suspect identified as ThankGod Onwe, who is still at large, drove a branded Sienna bus belonging to a political party to Ndulo Umuogudu Akpu Road. They allegedly stopped in front of the deceased’s business premises near Okwo Ngbo Main Market and shot him dead.
Justice Otah, in her ruling, emphasized that a forensic examination of the firearm recovered from the scene confirmed it was last used on the day of the murder. She dismissed the defense presented by the accused as insufficient to exonerate them from the crime.
Explaining the rationale behind sentencing all four men to death despite only Anthony Elom firing the fatal shot, Justice Otah stated that the group had formed a common intention to carry out an unlawful act, making them equally culpable. She pronounced the sentences as follows:
“Anthony Elom a.k.a Tidy, you will be hanged with a rope until you die. May God save your soul.”
“Chibueze Onwe a.k.a Chief oo, you will be hanged with a rope until you die. May God save your soul.”
“Chukwuemeka Ugah a.k.a Parity, you will be hanged with a rope until you die. May God save your soul.”
“Uchenna Odono, you will be hanged with a rope until you die. May God save your soul.”
Reacting to the judgment, the defense counsel, Chinedu Uwa, expressed dissatisfaction and announced plans to appeal the ruling.
Meanwhile, the prosecuting counsel, Oluchi Ibiam of the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice, alongside Barristers Chinedu Ugadu and Chinedu Ituma from Ohaukwu Local Government Area, commended the judgment, describing it as a true reflection of justice.
