A Delta State High Court sitting in Kwale has condemned to death a 24-year-old man, Ebinum Prosper, for the murder of his classmate, Ojieh Chibogu, in Ugiliama Community.
The conviction was delivered by Justice F. Enemor of High Court No. 2, Kwale, after the court found the defendant guilty of murder.
During the trial, the prosecution, led by Mrs. Catherine O. Onoberhie-Oberuomo, an Assistant Director in the Delta State Ministry of Justice, told the court that the incident occurred on June 29, 2016, in Ugiliama Community, Kwale.
The court heard that the defendant stabbed the deceased with a knife following a misunderstanding, resulting in his death.
The case, filed as Suit No. HCK/89C/2022, State vs. Ebinum Prosper, was initially handled in Asaba.
However, during the 2020 EndSARS protests, court documents and exhibits already tendered were destroyed in a fire incident while the matter was at the address stage.
Following the establishment of the Kwale Criminal Division, the prosecution applied for the case to be transferred back to Kwale for a fresh trial since it originated from the area.
Certified true copies of processes were later obtained from the High Court Registry in Asaba to reconstruct the case file.
After the prosecution closed its case, the defence reportedly took over a year to open its defence.
In his judgment delivered on Monday, Justice Enemor held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, leading to the conviction of the defendant and his sentence to death by hanging.
