Abakaliki court condemns 3 to death for stealing

A High Court in Abakaliki on Wednesday sentenced three men to death by hanging for stealing.

The condemned men Chukwuma Idenyi, Nwobodo Omebe and Monday Ekwe of Izzi and Abakaliki Local Government Areas dispossessed their victims the sum of N180, 925.

Delivering the judgment, the Judge, Justice Paul Elechi, held that the prosecutor proved his case beyond reasonable doubt.

Elechi, therefore, sentenced the accused persons to death by hanging.

NAN reports that the judgment was given after the parties adopted their written addresses.

In his argument before the judgment was given, the counsel to the defendants, Mr Vin Njoku, prayed the court to dismiss the matter.

Njoku argued that the prosecuting counsel and the complainant failed to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt.

“There were contradictions of the amount by the complainant and the prosecutor when the matter was first reported to the police and thereafter taken to court,” he said.

Prosecuting counsel, Mr. Roy Ude argued that his client was robbed and disposed of the said amount contributed by his community for school projects.

“If the accused persons were not properly punished the trend would continue in the community and constitute threat to the peace and security of the people.