Four persons, including the cousin to the Chairman of Ohaukwu Local Government Area, have been sentenced to death by hanging by an Ebonyi State High Court, Ohaukwu Judicial Division, after being found guilty of conspiracy and murder of a 26-year-old young man, Mr. Chinonso Elom Oscar, on 6th of February, 2023.
The deceased and the four convicted murderers hail from Ohaukwu Local Government Area.
The convicted persons, who the Judge said will die by hanging, are Anthony Elom, Chibueze Onwe, Chief Chukwuemeka Ugah, and Uchenna Odono.
Trouble started on 6th February, 2023, when the four convicted persons, including one ThankGod Onwe, who is now at large, drove a branded Sienna bus belonging to a known political party to Ndulo Umuogudu Akpu road, stopped at the front of the late Chinonso’s business area, near Okwo Ngbo Main Market.
According to eyewitnesses, the five killers who were believed to be members of a secret cult demanded that their victim, Chinonso Elom known as Oscar, provide information on the whereabouts of his younger brother whom they reportedly had a misunderstanding.
Chinonso’s inability to provide such information about his brother as demanded made them drag him into the Sienna bus.
Upon his refusal to enter the Sienna, one of the hoodlums, Anthony Elom, also known as Tidy shot him on the head with a shotgun, and he died instantly.
The gruesome murder of the 26-year-old Oscar caused a pandemonium leading to a wide protest by Ngbo youths who demanded that the killers be arrested and brought to justice.
The police later detained four of the murderers who were identified by several witnesses, but ThankGod Onwe, the fifth, was still at large.
They were eventually charged with conspiracy and murder by the Ebonyi state government.
The decision was handed out on Thursday by Justice Esther Otah of the Abakaliki High Court, Ohaukwu Division. She underlined that the prosecution’s evidence, including eyewitness accounts, demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused were accountable for the death of the aforementioned Chinonso Elom, and that the defendants’ argument was insufficient to clear them of the crime.
She also mentioned that a forensic analysis of the firearm that was later found on the murderers revealed that it had last been used on February 6, 2023.
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“Anthony Elom a.k.a Tidy, you will be hanged with a rope until you die. May God save your soul.
Chibueze Onwe a.k.a “Chief oo, you will be hanged with a rope until you die. May God save your soul.
“Chukwuemeka Ugah a.k.a Parity, you will be hanged with a rope until you die. May God save your soul.
“Uchenna Odono, you will be hanged with rope until you die. May God save your soul.“ The Judge declared.
Reacting to the judgment, Counsel to the defendants, Barr Chinedu Uwa said he was not satisfied with the Judgement and that he will appeal the judgment.
The Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice’s prosecuting attorney, Barr. Oluchi Ibiam, as well as two attorneys from the Ohaukwu Local Government Area who appeared in court, Barr. Chinedu Ugadu and Barr. Chinedu Ituma, expressed satisfaction with the decision and insisted that the judge’s decision accurately reflected justice.
Barr. Michael Odo, the President of the Amalgamated Ngboejeogu Youth, responded to the ruling with mixed emotions, stating that while the horrific murder of the late Chinonso Elom demonstrated the extent of systemic decay, the ruling should also serve as a warning to young people who continue to engage in cultism and other vices.
“Fellow Ngboejeogu youths, it is with mixed feelings of sadness but fulfilment of heart that I wish to address you this evening on the judgment of the High Court of Ebonyi State, Ohaukwu Judicial Division, delivered today 14/05/2025, in the case of State vs. Elom Anthony & 3 Others where the four defendants charged with the murder of Elom Chinonso (aka Oscar) were convicted and sentenced to death.
“This judgment does not call for celebration. It is a sad reminder of a terrible decay in our society. Those who were sentenced to death today are made up of two persons from Ngbo and two persons from Ezzangbo who could have added value to the society but chose the wrong path of criminality and ended up as a reference point in infamy.
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“On 6/2/2023, youths of Ngboejeogu staged a peaceful protest against the gruesome murder of our brother Mr. Elom Chinonso (aka Oscar) by well known individuals. The protest was brought to me as the President of Amalgamated Ngboejeogu Youth and I promised the youths of Ngboejeogu that we will follow up the matter and ensure that justice is done. Today, that promise was fulfilled through the judgment of the High Court in the matter.
“There is no need to recount the journey. However, I must thank in a special way the youths of Umuogudu Akpu Community, Umuezeaka Community, Umuogudu Oshia Community, etc who rallied round to draw the attention of the entire Ngbo people to this dastardly murder. I thank the Ngbo Leaders Council for calling the solemn assembly at Obodo Akpu, Umuogudu Akpu Ngbo where decisions were taken to ensure that the suspects were produced and handed over to the police for investigation.
“Time is changing fast in Ngbo and cultism is becoming outdated and a nuisance. We call on all political leaders and youths in Ngbo to rise up and condemn cultism in all its ramifications and in the strongest terms,” he said.
