Nigerian court sentences police officer to death for murder

A Delta State High Court sitting in Asaba has convicted and sentenced Inspector Ubi Ebri of the Nigeria Police Force to death on a murder charge.

The court was presided over by Hon. Justice C.D. Diai and the police officer was convicted for the killing of Emmanuel Ibeh Onyeka, a telephone repairer and seller.

The prosecution, led by Messrs. E.H. Edema (a director in the Ministry of Justice) and Michael Ayogbe, alleged that the defendant was part of a police patrol team that mounted a stop-and-search exercise on April 5, 2023, along the Ugbolu-Asaba Road in the state capital.

The deceased, Emmanuel Onyeka Ibeh and his wife were driving from Ugbolu to Asaba when they were flagged down by the police team for a search.

The deceased complied with the request but after waiting for a while to be searched and not being attended to, the deceased decided to pull off and move away.

Infuriated by the action of the deceased, the defendant immediately opened fire on the vehicle and bullets hit the deceased on the head. While Ibeh died instantly, his wife, who sat in the front seat with him, was unhurt.

The killing of the deceased led to protests by youths in the town.

Edema, in a chat with journalists soon after the judgement, said: "Today's judgement is a landmark judgement because justice has been served in this case to the deceased and society at large."

Fidel Ifeanyi Ibeh, the elder brother of the deceased, who witnessed the judgement, also commended the court for delivering justice to his family.