A High Court in the Ogbaru Judicial Division of Anambra State has sentenced Onyeka Eze, a vigilante operative, to death by hanging for the murder of phone repairer Anayo Ugbo.
Justice Charles Okaa handed down the verdict on Thursday, after the prosecution proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.
The court heard that on May 5, 2022, Ugbo, from Ogboji Ezzagu in Ebonyi State, was repairing a phone at Shoe Site Market in Okpoko, Ogbaru LGA, when Eze summoned him to meet the vigilante boss.
Ugbo asked for time to finish his work, but Eze insisted he follow him to the vigilante office, located in a three-storey building within the market.
At the office, Eze allegedly demanded that Ugbo pay for a past dispute involving a damaged chair and spilled pot of pepper soup claims the victim denied.
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When Ugbo refused, Eze reportedly assaulted him and pushed him from the third floor of the building. Ugbo suffered severe head injuries and died two days later at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital.
During the trial, the prosecution presented four witnesses, including an eyewitness, a medical doctor who conducted the postmortem, a police inspector, and the victim’s brother, Sunday Ugbo, who testified that the victim recounted the incident in the presence of his customer and an eyewitness.
Eze, who claimed innocence, testified on his own behalf but failed under cross-examination to prove he was an authorized vigilante operative.
Justice Okaa ruled that the prosecution had established the case beyond reasonable doubt, sentencing the 30-year-old Eze to death by hanging.
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