A verdict has been delivered by a Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt, which sentences five individuals to death by hanging. Their conviction stems from their role in the murder of Umezuruike Alex, who served as the commander of a community vigilante group called OSPAC in Omudioga community, Emohua Local Government Area.
The court ruled that the convicts would face either hanging or lethal injection until confirmed deceased.
The individuals, namely Okechukwu Orji from Atali community, Obio-Akpor; Igwe Promise, Iheanyi Igwe, Morrison Igwe, from Omudioga, Emohua LGA; and Goodness Monday from Akwa Ibom State, were found guilty on multiple charges including conspiracy, cultism, murder, and illegal possession of firearms.
In his judgment, the trial Judge, Justice Sika Aprioku, discharged and acquitted Alex Deiwe, the sixth defendant in the suit. Justice Aprioku concluded that the prosecution, led by Essien Edet, successfully demonstrated the guilt of the five individuals on counts including conspiracy, affiliation with a cult, illegal possession of firearms, and murder. Consequently, the court sentenced them to death by hanging or lethal injection. The court’s position before verdict Additionally, the court determined that the convicted individuals not only killed the OSPAC commander in Omudioga but also participated in the kidnapping and various other criminal activities across the state before their apprehension and subsequent legal proceedings.
In his remarks to the press, Essien Edet, the prosecution counsel and a legal officer at the Rivers State Police Command, expressed satisfaction with the verdict, considering it as a fair administration of justice. He emphasised its significance as a deterrent to others engaged in similar criminal behaviour.
“Today, the court has finally given judgment on the matter, and I believe justice has been served. It is a lesson to all those who are going about committing heinous crimes, killing people, taking the lives of human beings as if such are not valuable that justice is also coming after them except they repent.”
Earlier reports indicated that in 2021, the former OSPAC commander was murdered, decapitated, and his body mutilated by members of a cult who viewed him as a hindrance to their illicit operations in the region.
