Aluu Four: Police sergeant, 2 others sentenced to death
Breaking news PORT HARCOURT: A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt yesterday sentenced to death a Police Sergeant, Mr. Lucky Orji, David Chinasa Ogbada and Ikechukwu Louis Amadi, (aka Kapoon) for their connection in the murder of the four students of University of Port Harcourt. The Rivers court also discharged and acquitted four of the suspects in the trial, Saviour Johnny, Abiodun Yusuf, Joshua Ekpe and Cyril Abang.
On the 5th of Oct 2012 Four students of the University of port Harcourt, Ugonna Obuzor, Toku Lloyd, Tekena Elkannah and Chiadika Biringa were killed in a mob action at Aluu community in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state . Twelve suspects were charged before the high court in Rivers state on the crime and due to the report given by the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Mr. Otorubio, five of the suspects including the traditional ruler of Umuokiri, Alhaji Hassan Welewa were discharged and acquitted on 27 January, 2017 Seven of the suspects, Saviour Johnny, Lucky Orji, Ikechukwu Louis Amadi, (aka Kapoon) David Chinasa Ogbada, Abiodun Yusuf, Joshua Ekpe and Cyril Abang were left without bail. The trial judge, Justice Letam Nyordee, while delivering judgment yesterday noted that the prosecution counsel was able to prove the involvement of the three persons through a video evidence presented to the court. Nyordee held that evidence given against the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants in the matter were overwhelming, adding their statements in the massacre was confirmed in the video evidence that they actively took part in the killing of the four students. He ruled that the statement of the 4th, 5th 6th and 7th defendants in the matter justifies their position that they were not involved in the murder, adding that it is corroborated by the video evidence of the prosecution counsel which only captured the presence of the suspects at the scene of the incidence.
The judge in charge of the case make clear that the three convicted persons went too far in the murder , adding that their actions were intended to terminate the lives of the victims, stressing that 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants were guilty of murder.
With reference to Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37, Vol. 2, Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria, 1999, Nyordee sentenced the three to death for killing other people unduly.
The trial maintained that the death of the four students was the most condemnable and cannot be justified, adding that the victims had great hope and future for their families. Nyordee lashed out on the security operatives for their failure to take their role of protection of live and upholding of law seriously, regretting that the security personnel at the scene of the crime could not save the situation and described the situation as the sorry state of the society. He said no explanation would ever be valid on why the Joint Military Task Force, JTF, the Aluu Police Post, Isiopko Divisional Police Headquarters and C4I security outfit, which were beckoned and were present, could not mobilize to rescue the victims whose allegation of robbery could not be proven during the unlawful prosecution.
Nevertheless, Mr Nyordee added that the pronouncement of the court would serve as a lesson to other persons who take human life without thinking, He added that human life should be protected and the other way round. We stand for Justice.
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