Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has sentenced a house help, Telema Amaso, to death by hanging for the murder of Helen Ibiba Bobmauel, who was strangled to death in 2013, at her residence in Woji axis of the state.
Amaso, who was convicted for murder, was a house help to Mrs. Bobmanuel and her late husband, as at the time the crime was committed.
The convict and one Ndubuisi Chukwuemeka were tried for murder, conspiracy to murder, and stealing; but, conspiracy to murder was struck out and the second defendant was charged with accessory to the fact of murder.
Justice Silverline Iragonima, who delivered judgment yesterday, said the first and second defendants were convicted because of overwhelming evidence before the court including the confessional statements given to the police which indicted them of committing the crime.
You May Also Read
- Togolese cook kills Ondo chief in Lagos
- Ohanaeze: Splinter group slams N500 billion suit on CAC
- Police arrest 4 for murder
- Lawyer, wife murdered my son in Lagos
Justice Iragonima said that though the first defendant, Amaso, denied and retracted his confessional statements, he failed to convince the court that he never committed the crime.
On the conviction of the second defendant, Chukwuemeka, for stealing, Justice Iragonima said the court found him guilty because his claims that he never knew that the first defendant had committed crime, did not convince the court to discharge him of the offence.
It was gathered that the two convicts, Amaso and Chukwuemeka, were arrested on September 17, 2013, shortly after it was found out that Mrs. Ibiba Bobmanuel had been murdered and her property worth N5 million including Hyundai Elantra saloon car, laptop, and phone were taken away from her house by the first defendant, who was assisted by Chukwuemeka.
The three convicts, Chiwendu Alozie, Wilfred Jumbo, and Gift Amadi were tried for kidnapping, conspiracy to murder, and murder.
They were arrested in 2016 with the help of investigation conducted by the Department of State Security Service after the family of the late young lawyer Worlu reported the matter.
Justice Nwogu, who convicted the three persons, said the evidence provided by the prosecution team and the confessional statements by the accused were weighty enough and the court relied on them to deliver the judgment.
He said the court was convinced that they committed the crime and the law cannot look the other way.
