The Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has sentenced four people to death by hanging for killing Mr Esther Edomobi at her residence in Cocaine Estate, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.
The convicts, Zakariah Dauda, Inah-inah Edet, Sunday Pius, and Isaac Marcus, have been standing trial since 2008 for conspiracy, armed robbery and murder.
Zakariah, the first accused person, worked as a gateman to the victim before he took part in her murder on May 24th, 2008.
The trial Judge, Justice Weli Chechey, found the four defendants guilty as charged, for conspiring among themselves to murder the deceased and cart away her property and cash worth millions of pounds.
The judge ruled that the evidence provided by the prosecutor showed that the defendants killed Mrs Edomobi in a gruesome manner, by hitting her hard several times on her face, which tore her face open and plucked her right eye socket.
Chechey insisted that the prosecution proved its case beyond every reasonable doubt and convicted them to death by hanging.
The Prosecutor, Nathaniel Ukotije-Mbaba, from the Rivers State Ministry of Justice described the judgment as sound saying justice had been served.
He said: “As a matter of fact, some say that justice delayed is justice denied. But from this trial and judgement after 14 years, it goes to show that such statement is wrong, that justice delayed is not justice denied”.
But Comfort Amadi, the lawyer to the defendants expressed displeasure over the judgment saying they would appeal it.
Husband of the deceased, Boniface Edomobi thanked the court for the judgment which he said had wiped away tears of many years.
He said: “I feel great and I thank God. My late wife’s spirit is very strong and she fought this battle immediately they killed her, she followed our security man to Imo river where he offered police about $8 000, as a bribe but the policemen declined and handcuffed him and that was how others were caught.
“You can see that some prominent people that have been assassinated in this country, their assailant cannot be traced but in her case, within one hour, they were just picked like fowl from the estate. And today, they have been sentenced to death.
“So, I thank God and the Judge who swore that he will see to the end of this matter which he has delivered today. God has been so faithful to me and my children because it has not been easy coping without my wife.”
