Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has sentenced Ifeanyichukwu Maxwell-Dike and Ugochukwu Nwamiro to death by hanging without an option of fine for the gruesome murder of an eight-year-old girl, Chikamso Victory.
Justice Adolphus Enebeli, in his judgement, ruled that Maxwell-Dike, a 200-Level student of the Department of Physics, University of Port Harcourt, and Nwamiro should be hanged until they are dead.
Also, the court sentenced Sergeant Johnbosco Okoronze, who was found guilty of aiding the escape of Maxwell-Dike from police custody to a year imprisonment.
Justice Enebeli relied his judgement against the second defendant, Nwamiro, on the voluntary confessional statement made by the first defendant.
Maxwell-Dike, who, in his four statements, maintained that he was asked to get “the little girl’s sensitive human organs for financial independence.”
The court ruled that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, while insisting that the counsel for the first defendant, Lezina Ameagwa, in his first written address, did not deny the fact that his client did not commit the offense of murder but said he did based on insanity.
The pronouncement by the judge caused the family of one of the convicts, Nwamiro, to break down in tears.
