In a landmark judgment, a High Court presided over by Justice Onome Marshal-Umukoro has sentenced Onuwa Ijie to death and Nwanozie Uzor to 14 years imprisonment for the heinous murder of seven-year-old twin boys, Chidalu and Chigozie Agwunobi in Delta state.
The gruesome tragedy occurred on March 5, 2020, when the defendants lured the twin boys into a bush, where they brutally cut off their penis, eyes, tongues, and hands. The defendants then took the body parts to a native doctor in Anambra State.
The prosecution, led by Deputy Director Mrs Paula Akpoguma, presented a solid case, calling five witnesses whose testimonies proved the defendants’ guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Justice Marshal-Umukoro, in his judgment, relied on the confessional statement of the first defendant, which implicated him as the mastermind behind the crime.
The court also relied on the testimony of the investigating police officer, which was deemed sufficient evidence. In a post-judgment interview, prosecuting counsel Akpoguma commended the court for upholding justice, reaffirming the effectiveness of the judicial system.
“Reaffirming that the judicial system works,” Akpoguma said, thanking the court for delivering justice to the Agwunobi family. The judgment brings closure to the family of Olise Agwunobi, whose twin boys were brutally murdered in Oko-Ogbele Community.
