Court sentences 3 to death by hanging for killing ex-agitator, another

TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt

A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt has sentenced three persons, Dougbra Ogbe, Emmanuel Gladstone and Pere Matthew, to death by hanging, for the murder of former Niger Delta agitator, Soboma George, and a groundnut seller, Joy John-Ejims.

Three of them were convicted yesterday, by Justice George Omereji on three counts bordering on conspiracy and murder of George and John-Ejims in 2010.

Justice Omereji, in the judgement that lasted for over two hours, directed that the convicts be tied on their neck till they are confirmed dead.

He held that the prosecution was able to prove his case beyond reasonable doubts, especially with the evidence of an eyewitness, Emmanuel Eniete, whom bullet also picked during the attack that led to the death of George.

Justice Omereji noted that evidence and testimonies of the witness had proven that the defendants actually committed the crime as charged.

The trial judge particularly noted among others, confessional statements by the defendants, that they killed the ex-agitator because he wanted to kill them after they (Ogbe, Gladstone and Matthew) refused to kill the former governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi and then Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, who further indicted them.

However, the Prosecution Counsel, Ipalibo Karibo-Botoye, after the proceeding, expressed happiness that after 10 years prosecution, justice had come to stay.

Karibi-Botoye commended the court for giving George and John-Ejims justice, noting that he was ready to defend his case further at Court of Appeal.

He expressed: “We are happy that 10 years after the murder of George, justice has come to stay. It is a thing of joy that the court saw that we proved our case.

“The case lasted for 10 years. Four judges presided over it. We went to Court of Appeal for four years. There was trial within trial that lasted till we ended the case. And the judgement was given today, in my favour of course.

“If they go on appeal, we are ready to defend this case to logical conclusion. This is justice for the family”, Karibi-Botoye maintained.