In a solemn verdict, the High Court sitting at Asaba, Delta State, has sentenced Onuwa Oliseh Ijie to death for the murder of seven-year-old twin boys, Chidalu and Chigozie Agwunobi, for ritual purposes.
Onuwa’s accomplice, Nwanozie Uzor, received a 14-year imprisonment term for conspiracy to commit the heinous crime. Both offenders are relatives of the deceased twins.
The prosecution, led by Deputy Director Paula Akpoguma from the Ministry of Justice, called upon five witnesses whose testimonies crucially established guilt beyond reasonable doubt, as confirmed by a news release from the state Ministry of Justice’s Public Relations Officer, Onoriode Etatsemi, on Tuesday, July 16.
According to the prosecution, tragedy befell the family of Olise Agwunobi from Oko-Ogbele Community on March 5, 2020. The defendants lured the seven-year-old twin boys into a bush, where they mutilated them, severing their pen!ses, eyes, tongues, and hands, which were swiftly taken to a native doctor in Aguleri, Anambra State.
“One of the defendants had attempted to retrieve the twins from their school earlier but was refused by the teacher, Mrs. Emelda Ezekwude,” Akpoguma stated.
In delivering the judgment, Justice Onome Marshal-Umukoro meticulously evaluated the evidence presented and affirmed that the prosecution had convincingly discharged the burden of proof. The judge highlighted that Onuwa, through his confessional statement, initiated the idea of human ritual to Nwanozie, providing contact details of Chukwudi Edemuzor, allegedly seeking twins for sacrificial purposes.
The court underscored that police investigative testimony holds weight as direct evidence, not hearsay, and can be relied upon in legal proceedings.
Following the verdict, Akpoguma commended the court for upholding justice, reaffirming the efficacy of the judicial system.
