Follow Us on Google
Paul Osuyi, Asaba
FOUR persons are to die by hanging after a Delta State High Court, Asaba, pronounced them guilty of offences of armed robbery, kidnapping, unlawful possession of arms and others.
The convicts, Uche Vincent Uzondu, Emeka Amukali, Paul Egwom and Festus Oghali have been facing a nine-count charge bordering on conspiracy to commit felony to wit; kidnapping, armed robbery and wounding with intent.
The count presided over by Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge, however, discharged and acquitted the fifth defendant, one David Mario, of all the charges for lack of sufficient evidence linking him to the crime.
Justice Azinge found the first four defendants guilty of all the charges and accordingly sentenced them to death by hanging. The court held that the prosecution established and proved beyond reasonable doubt the offenses for which they were charged, and that the defendants failed woefully to create any doubt. The court further held that from the confessional statements of the defendants, they conspired and worked in synergy to perpetrate their criminal activities, adding that their denials that they did not know each other was a blatant lie and an after thought. The four-man gang is believed to be responsible for series of snatching of exotic cars in Asaba and its environs before they were apprehended.
Besides, they also held their victims (owners of snatched cars) hostage and collected ransom from distraught family members.
Nemesis, however, caught up with the gang when one of their victims whose car was snatched at gunpoint sighted his stolen car, which had already been re-painted to another colour in a shop along the ever-busy Asaba-Benin expressway and reported the discovery to the police.
Acting on the tip-off, detectives swooped on the shop where stolen cars were refurbished and recovered several cars while the convicted persons were also apprehended.
