Tricycle operator sentenced to death for murder in Anambra

A commercial tricycle rider in Anambra State, Nigeria, has been sentenced to death by hanging for murder. Makua Ezike was found guilty of killing Jude Onwuegbuchunam, an indigene of Umuoji in the Idemili North Local Government Area.

The incident occurred on November 17, 2019, when Ezike and his gang members used the tricycle for a "one-chance" robbery operation. They picked up Onwuegbuchunam, and when he resisted their attempt to rob him, they pushed him out of the moving vehicle. He sustained fatal injuries and died two days later.

Ezike was apprehended by vigilante operatives after abandoning the tricycle and fleeing the scene. He later returned to retrieve the tricycle and was arrested by the police, where he confessed to the crime. The prosecution presented five witnesses, including a doctor who confirmed the victim's death resulted from the fall.

Despite the defense arguing a lack of eyewitnesses, Justice Lauretta Oyeka convicted Ezike based on overwhelming circumstantial evidence, including the abandoned tricycle, Ezike's confession, and medical findings. The court ordered Ezike to be put to death by hanging.