Tricycle Rider Gets Death Sentence for Murder in Anambra

A High Court in Anambra State, led by Justice Lauretta Oyeka, has sentenced a commercial tricycle rider, Makua Ezike, to death by hanging. He was found guilty of killing Jude Onwuegbuchunam, a resident of Umuoji in the Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra.

The charge sheet, which our correspondent got on Monday, shows the crime happened on November 17, 2019. It occurred along the Oba-Obosi-Nkpor-Umuoji Road.

Ezike was reportedly using his tricycle with other gang members for a robbery known as “one-chance.” They pretended to be a normal tricycle rider and passengers. They picked up Onwuegbuchunam, who was unaware of their plan, and tried to rob him of his phone and valuables during the ride.

When Onwuegbuchunam fought back and shouted for help, Ezike and his gang threw him out of the moving tricycle near Abidi Hall, Umuoji. At that time, Umuoji Vigilante operatives were nearby.

The vigilante operatives chased after Ezike and his gang. Ezike ran away, leaving the tricycle behind. The next day, he returned to the same spot where he left the tricycle and got caught by the vigilante operatives. They handed him over to the police, where he admitted to the crime.

Onwuegbuchunam suffered serious injuries and died two days later. The prosecution presented five witnesses, including a doctor who did the post-mortem on Onwuegbuchunam. The doctor confirmed that the victim died due to the injuries he got from the fall.

Although the defence claimed there were no eyewitnesses, Justice Oyeka pointed out that the law allows convictions based on three types of evidence. These are direct eyewitness accounts, confessional statements, and circumstantial evidence.

The judge highlighted that in this case, the circumstantial evidence was strong. This included the abandoned tricycle, Ezike disappearing from the scene, his confession, and medical evidence linking the victim's injuries to his actions.

As a result, the court convicted Ezike of murder and sentenced him to death by hanging.