S’Court Affirms Ilodibe, Godwin, Mu'azu’S Death Sentences

The Supreme Court, at the weekend, affirmed the death sentences passed on three persons at various times by trial courts in Katsina, Edo and Delta States.

The convicts – Ilodibe Uche, Godwin Alao and Alhaji Mu’azu Ali – had evaded the hang man noose, since 2010, through appeals but they failed, on Friday, in their attempts to convince the Supreme Court to reverse their death sentences.

The apex court said in a unanimous decision on the three separate appeals that each of them was devoid of merit and, so, is dismissed. In each of the appeal, the court upheld the concurrent decisions of both the trial courts and Courts of Appeal.

One of the convicts, Ali was condemned to death by the court for causing the death of one Alhaji Garba Namuri, on April 17, 2004.  According to the court, Ali struck Garba Namuri on his head with an axe. He slumped and died.

The court also frown at the killing of one Edwin Asaba Ovie, who was stabbed to death by Alao, on February 14, 2005 at Sabongida-Ora, Edo State.

Alao along with his younger brother Omokhefe Alao had stabbed the deceased after a misunderstanding among them, which had been reported to the police generated in a serious fracas.

While Alao is to died, Omokhefe, a minor, who was also found guilty of same offence, had been spared in accordance with Section 16 of the Children and Young Person’s Law, which states that the words “convicted” and “sentence” shall not be used in relation to a child or young person.

On his part, Ilodibe Uche will face the hangman noose for robbing one Ndubuisi Bayem and Awele Bayem of the sum of N9, 000.00 and a Nokia GSM telephone, at gun point, at their shop on Isioma Onyeaobi Way, Asaba, on December 1, 2006.