By Chuks Peter, DELTA
A High Court in Asaba, Delta State, under the jurisdiction of Honourable Justice Onome Marshal-Umukoro, has sentenced Onuwa Olise Ijie to death and his accomplice, Nwanozie Uzor, to 14 years imprisonment for the brutal murder of twin boys.
The victims, seven-year-old twins Chidalu and Chigozie, were the children of Mr. Olise Agwunobi from Oko-Ogbele Community in Oshimili South Local Government Area of Delta State.
On March 5, 2020, the twins were lured into a nearby bush where they were brutally killed. Vital parts of their bodies were subsequently removed and taken to a native doctor in Aguleri, Anambra State, for use in money rituals.
The prosecution, led by Deputy Director in the Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Paula Akpoguma, presented five witnesses to support the case.
A sixth witness, 15-year-old Iweka Ajie, the younger brother of one of the defendants, initially agreed to testify via video link but ultimately refused to adopt his deposition out of fear.
Despite this, the court found that the testimonies of the other five witnesses were sufficient to prove the case against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.
It was also revealed that one of the defendants had previously attempted to take the twins from their school but was denied by their teacher, Mrs. Emelda Ogugua Ezekwude.
In his judgment, Justice Onome Marshal-Umukoro noted that the evidence clearly demonstrated that the first defendant, through his confessional statement, had instigated the second defendant to commit the murders.
He had done so by providing the contact information of one Chukwudi Edemuzor, who was allegedly seeking twins for ritual purposes.
The court noted that the testimony of an Investigating Police Officer (IPO) is not considered hearsay and can be relied upon as credible evidence.
