An Anambra State High Court has sentenced a commercial tricycle operator, Makua Ezike, to death by hanging for the murder of Jude Onwuegbuchunam, an indigene of Umuoji in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state.

The judgment was delivered by Justice Lauretta Oyeka, who found the defendant guilty of the offence committed on November 17, 2019, along the Oba-Obosi-Nkpor-Umuoji Road.

According to court records, Ezike and two other gang members, who are still at large, operated a “one-chance” robbery syndicate using a commercial tricycle to lure unsuspecting passengers.

The victim, Onwuegbuchunam, was reportedly picked up by the gang under the pretence of regular transportation before they attempted to rob him of his phone and other valuables.

The court heard that when the victim resisted and raised an alarm, the gang pushed him out of the moving tricycle near Abidi Hall in Umuoji.

Vigilante operatives stationed in the area reportedly chased the suspects, forcing Ezike and his accomplices to abandon the tricycle and flee.

Ezike was later arrested after returning to recover the abandoned tricycle and was subsequently handed over to the police, where he reportedly confessed to the crime.

The victim sustained severe injuries from the incident and died two days later.

During the trial, the prosecution presented five witnesses, including the medical doctor who conducted the post-mortem examination and confirmed that the injuries sustained from the fall caused the victim’s death.

Although the defence argued that there was no eyewitness to the incident, Justice Oyeka ruled that the prosecution had established its case through strong circumstantial evidence, the defendant’s confession, and medical findings.

The court consequently convicted Ezike of murder and sentenced him to death by hanging.