The
supreme court sitting in Abuja, presided over by Justice Walter
Onoghen, has fixed February 26, 2016, for judgment in the appeal filed
Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, general overseer of the Christian Praying
Assembly (better known as Reverend King) challenging the judgement of a
Lagos high court sentencing him to death by hanging.
In a statement issued by Bola Akingbade, deputy director, press and
public relations at the Lagos State ministry of justice, the apex
court, adjourned for judgment after entertaining arguments from counsel
to prosecution and defense in the matter.Akingbade said that 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 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 offense 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 judgement.
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