Court sentences five to death over Edo lawyer’s murder

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

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 murder, imposing various prison terms and sentences, including death 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 killing of Osobase in 2020.

Osobase was reportedly abducted, beaten to death 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 killing.

With Wednesday’s verdict, the court brought to an end a trial that has remained a reference point in Edo State’s legal community for more than six years.