Seven children of the same family were sentenced to death, December 12, 2020 for conspiracy and murder of their brother, Vincent Ebere, in Benue State.
According to findings by our correspondent, the convicts, Peter, Elias, Chibueze, Emmanuel, Simon, Patrick and Godwin all of Ebere family in Enyikpo Ulayi village, Ado Local Government Area of Benue State, were found guilty of murder and sentenced to death by hanging.
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After their trial by the Otukpo High Court, they were found culpable and sentenced accordingly. The seven brothers were on 12th December, 2020, convicted by Justice Wilfred Kpochi for criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide punishable with death.
During the trial, the Court was told how the convicts conspired and agreed among themselves to kill their brother, Vincent Ebere, armed with cutlasses and sticks with which they bruised and macheted him on the head on December 25, 2012, which led to his death.
Justice Kpochi, while delivering his judgement, turned down the plea of allocatus by the defendants maintaining that it was of no effect hence the punishment for the heinous crime was mandatory. He held that the prosecution had proved his case beyond all reasonable doubts and accordingly sentenced all the accused to death by hanging.
Speaking shortly after the judgement, the Prosecuting Chief State Counsel, Mr. Ada Ocholi, said it would serve as a deterrent to others since nobody was permitted to take the laws into his hands.
On her part, wife of the deceased Mrs. Felicia Ebere, and the brother, Chukwuma, thanked the Court for the judgement and the Judiciary for the manner the case was handled. They were satisfied that the issue has been given justice.
It was gathered that the convicts and the deceased were from the same family with different parents. The judgement is set to wipe a whole family.
This article was first published in P.M. Express
