One Onuwa Ijie has been sentenced to death by a Delta State High Court for the killing of a set of twins (boys) for ritual purposes.
His accomplice, one Nwanozie Uzor, was lucky as he bagged a prison term of 14 years for the gruesome murder of the twins named Chidalu and Chigozie Agwunobi
Tragedy had struck on March 5, 2020 in Oko-Ogbelle, a coastline community in Oshimili South Local Government Area of Delta State, where the seven years old twins were lured into the bush by the defendants who harvested their vital organs (penis, eyes, tongues and hands) which they hurriedly took to a native doctor at Aguleri in neighbouring Anambra State.
In a news release by the Public Relations Officer of the state Ministry of Justice, Onoriode Etatsemi, stated that the presiding judge, Justice Onome Marshal Umukoro while handing the sentence, declared that the court carefully evaluated the evidence presented before it.
The court which sat in Asaba, the Delta State capital presided by Justice Umukoro held that the prosecution discharged the burden of proof, noting that from the confessional statement of the first defendant, it was clear that he sowed the seed of committing rituals in the mind of the second defendant by giving the phone number of one Chukwudi Edemuzor who was alleged to be searching for twins to kill for money.
The court maintained that the law is settled that the testimony of an Investigating police officer is not hearsay evidence and the court can rely on it.
According to the release, the prosecution conducted by a Deputy Director from the Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Paula Akpoguma in proof of the case called five witnesses.
The release added that a sixth witness, 15-year old Iweka Ajie, a younger brother to one of the defendants who came to testify via video link but at the last minute out of fear, refused to adopt his deposition on oath.
Prosecution told the court that one of the defendants had earlier gone to the school of the twin children to take them but was turned down by the school.
Regardless, the release added that the court relied on the testimony of the five witnesses to hold that the case against the two defendants was proven beyond reasonable doubt.
