The Ebonyi State High Court, Ohaukwu Judicial Division, has sentenced four men—Anthony Elom (alias Tidy), Chibueze Onwe (alias Chief), Chukwuemeka Ugah (alias Parity), and Uchenna Odono—to death by hanging for the February 5, 2023, murder of 26-year-old Chinonso Elom (popularly known as Oscar) in Ngbo community. The convicted individuals, alongside a fifth suspect, ThankGod Onwe (still at large), confronted Elom near Okwo Ngbo Main Market in a political party-branded Sienna van, demanding information about his younger brother amid a prior dispute. When Elom resisted being forced into the vehicle, Anthony Elom shot him in the head with a shotgun, killing him instantly.
Eyewitness accounts and forensic evidence linking the recovered weapon to the crime secured their conviction. Justice Esther Otah ruled that all four shared liability under the legal principle of common intention, as their collective pursuit of an unlawful act made each responsible for its fatal outcome, regardless of who fired the shot. The murder had sparked widespread protests in Ngbo, with youths demanding justice. While four suspects were arrested and tried, efforts to apprehend ThankGod Onwe continue. The court dismissed defense arguments, affirming the prosecution’s evidence as conclusive.
