Court sentences man to death by hanging for murder

The Anambra State High Court in Idemili Judicial Division on Monday sentenced a man, Ikechukwu Okoye, to death by hanging for murdering his family friend’s wife and stealing her property.

Judge A.O. Okuma convicted Mr Okoye of murder and theft.

Delivering the judgement, the judge dismissed the convict’s claim of self-defence.

The court, however, held that the charge of armed robbery could not be sustained because the defendant had killed the deceased before forming the intention to steal her property.

Earlier, the prosecution, led by Victoria Ononye-Ekwerekwu, a chief state counsel, and including Florence Abadom-Igweike and Nkiru Nzekwu, both principal state counsel, told the court that Mr Okoye went to the residence of the victim, Blessing Mba, at Abime Village, Oba, on  22 February 2024, to steal a multi-purpose grinding machine.

The prosecution stated that an argument ensued between Mr Okoye and the deceased, during which Mr Okoye struck Mrs Mba on the head with a pestle, causing her death.

The prosecution said Mr Okoye dragged the deceased’s body into her children’s room, covered it with their clothes and took away her grinding machine and generator.

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It said Mr Okoye then boarded a commercial motorcycle to Afor Oba Market with the stolen items.

According to the prosecution, the deceased’s husband, who had earlier taken their children to school, spotted Mr Okoye on the motorcycle with his wife’s grinding machine and generator.

It said the husband, upon returning home, discovered his wife’s lifeless body in the children’s room and alerted security operatives, who later arrested Okoye at Afor Oba Market with the stolen items.

Mr Okoye, in his defence, denied the offence, disowned his extra-judicial statement in which he admitted committing the offence and pleaded self-defence.