An Anambra State High Court has sentenced a commercial tricycle rider, Makuachukwu Ezike, to death by hanging after finding him guilty of murdering a passenger during a failed robbery operation.
The judgment was delivered by Justice Lauretta Oyeka, who ruled that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Ezike was responsible for the death of Jude Onwuegbuchunam, a native of Umuoji in Idemili North Local Government Area.
The incident occurred on November 17, 2019, along the Oba-Obosi-Nkpor-Umuoji Road.
According to evidence presented in court, Ezike and two accomplices who remain at large disguised themselves as a commercial tricycle operator and passengers before picking up the victim.
During the journey, the group allegedly attempted to rob Onwuegbuchunam of his mobile phone and other valuables. When he resisted and raised an alarm, the attackers reportedly pushed him out of the moving tricycle near Abidi Hall in Umuoji.
Vigilante operatives stationed in the area immediately pursued the suspects. While Ezike and his accomplices initially escaped, he returned to retrieve the tricycle he had abandoned during the chase and was arrested by the vigilante group before being handed over to the police.
Investigators told the court that Ezike later confessed to participating in the crime.
Onwuegbuchunam sustained severe injuries from the incident and died two days later while receiving treatment.
During the trial, the prosecution presented five witnesses, including the medical doctor who carried out the post-mortem examination. The doctor confirmed that the victim died as a direct result of injuries suffered after being pushed from the moving tricycle.
Although the defence argued that there was no eyewitness to the crime, Justice Oyeka held that a conviction could be secured through direct evidence, a confessional statement, or compelling circumstantial evidence.
The judge noted that the evidence against Ezike was overwhelming, pointing to his abandoned tricycle, his attempt to flee, his confession, and medical findings linking the victim’s death to the injuries sustained during the attack.
Having found him guilty of murder, the court sentenced Ezike to death by hanging.
