Ebonyi High Court sitting in the Ohaukwu Judicial Division has sentenced four men to death by hanging for the gruesome murder of a 26-year-old businessman, Chinonso Elom, also known as Oscar.
Among those convicted is Anthony Elom, a cousin to the Chairman of Ohaukwu Local Government Area.
The killing occurred on February 6, 2023, in front of Chinonso’s business premises near the bustling Okwo Ngbo Main Market.
The assailants, reportedly cultists and political thugs, had stormed the area in a Sienna bus.
Eyewitnesses say the group, comprising Anthony Elom (aka Tidy), Chibueze Onwe, Chief Chukwuemeka Ugah, Uchenna Odono, and a fifth accomplice, ThankGod Onwe (who remains at large), confronted Chinonso, demanding the whereabouts of his younger brother over a past misunderstanding.
When Chinonso couldn’t provide answers, the gang attempted to force him into the vehicle. Upon his resistance, Anthony Elom pulled out a shotgun and fired a fatal shot to his head.
The shocking murder sparked widespread outrage and triggered mass protests by Ngbo youths who demanded justice.
Following swift police investigations and credible eyewitness testimonies, four of the suspects were apprehended and charged with conspiracy and m8rder.
In a dramatic courtroom session on Thursday, May 14, 2025, Justice Esther Otah of the Abakaliki High Court ruled that the prosecution presented irrefutable evidence, including forensic analysis linking the m8rder weapon to the crime.
She declared the defense arguments as “grossly insufficient,” emphasizing that the accused acted in concert and deserved equal culpability.
Justice Otah pronounced the death sentence for all four convicts, stating that the heinous crime was not just an act of m8rder but a calculated, cold-blooded conspiracy.
Reacting to the verdict, lead defense counsel, Barrister Chinedu Uwa, expressed dissatisfaction and vowed to appeal the ruling.
In contrast, the prosecuting counsel, Barrister Oluchi Ibiam of the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice, alongside Barristers Chinedu Ugadu and Chinedu Ituma from Ohaukwu, hailed the judgement as a landmark victory for justice and a deterrent to political thuggery and cult-related killings.
