The supreme court has dismissed the appeal filed by Chukwuemeka
Ezeugo, general overseer of the Christian Praying Assembly (better known as
Reverend King), challenging the judgment of a Lagos high court sentencing him
to death by hanging.
In his lead judgment,
Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, said the facts of the case were “like what you
see in a horror movie”. He added that the appeal lacked merit. The court
upheld the judgment of the lower court sentencing him to death.
In December 2015, the
apex court, presided over by Justice Walter Onoghen, adjourned for judgment
after entertaining arguments from counsel to prosecution and defence in the
matter.
Adeniji Kazeem, Lagos state attorney-general and commissioner
for justice, appeared before the supreme court alongside Idowu Alakija,
director of public prosecution and other senior counsel in the State, urging
the court to dismiss the appeal and uphold the judgment of the lower courts.
Ezeugo was arraigned on September 26, 2006 on a six-count charge
of attempted murder and murder. He pleaded not guilty to the allegation but was
sentenced to death by the then Justice Joseph Oyewole of the Lagos state high
court, Ikeja, on January 11, 2007, for the murder of one of his church members,
Ann Uzoh.
Justice Oyewole is now a judge of the appeal court sitting in the
Calabar division. The Lagos State government had said that the convict poured
petrol on the deceased and five other persons and that Uzoh died on August 2,
2006 – 11 days after the act was perpetrated on her.
Specifically, Ezeugo was convicted and sentenced to 20 years’
imprisonment for the attempted murder, and death by hanging for the offence of
murder. Dissatisfied, he challenged the verdict before the court of appeal in
Lagos, but the appeal was thrown out.
’’I hereby rule that the
prosecution effectively discharged the burden of proof on it. This appeal is
devoid of any basis and accordingly fails,” Justice Fatimo Akinbami had said
while reading the judgment.
“The judgment of the high court is hereby affirmed, and the
conviction imposed on the appellant (which is death by hanging), is also
affirmed.” Amina Augie and Ibrahim Saulawa, the two other members of the panel
of Justices, concurred with the lead judgment. Again, Ezeugo not being
satisfied with the verdict, approach the supreme court, seeking invalidation of
the judgment.
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