Court sentences five to d3ath over m8rder of Edo lawyer

The Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City on Wednesday sentenced five persons to d8ath by hanging for their involvement in the abduction and m8rder of a legal practitioner, Iyoha Osobase.

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The court, however, discharged and acquitted one of the defendants, Solomon Esuike, citing insufficient evidence linking him to the crime.

Delivering judgment in Charge No. B/CD/136C/22, The State versus Valentine Dibie and Five Others, the presiding judge, Justice Efe Ikpomwonba, held that the prosecution proved its case against five of the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.

The court consequently convicted the five defendants on charges of conspiracy, kidnapping and m8rder, imposing various prison terms and sentences, including d8ath by hanging.

“It is clear that the prosecution successfully proved its case against five of you (the defendants) beyond reasonable doubt. However, the evidence presented against the second defendant, Solomon Esuike, was insufficient to sustain the charges against him. He is hereby discharged and acquitted,” the judge stated.

The judgment brought to a close a criminal trial that has attracted significant attention within Edo State’s legal community since the k!lling of Osobase in 2020.

Osobase was reportedly abducted, beaten to d3ath and buried in a shallow grave in the Aduwawa area of Benin City on May 9, 2020.

Esuike’s defence team, led by Douglas Ogbankwa, alongside A.P. Uzor and S.A. Idemudia, successfully challenged the prosecution’s case against their client, securing the only acquittal among the six defendants who stood trial.

The prosecution was led by a former Edo State Director of Public Prosecutions, Orobosa Okunbor, who presented witnesses and other evidence during the proceedings.

The case also drew national attention following calls for justice from senior legal and political figures, including the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Chief Festus Keyamo (SAN), who had urged authorities to thoroughly investigate and prosecute those responsible for the lawyer’s k!lling.