Aluu Four: How Police Sargent, two others bagged death sentence

For about five years, parents of the four innocent stu­dents of the University of Port Harcourt, who were killed in Aluu, the University com­munity in Rivers State, in cold blood have eagerly been waiting for justice. 

The trauma they went through has been relieved as the perpetrators of the dastardly act wore sentenced to death. WILLIE ETIM and BLESSING IBUNGE writes that the judge­ment offers the lesson that hu­man life should be respected.

The four male students of the University of Port Harcourt (Uniport), who were grue­somely murdered in Omokiri, Aluu community, in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Riv­ers State, will now rest in peace following the conviction of the suspects sentenced to death on Monday by the High court in Port Harcourt.

The four students; Ugonna Obuzor(19), Tekena Elkan­ah(23), Lloyd Tokwu Mike(22), and Chiadika Biringa (23).

were lynched on October 5, 2012, on alarm by one Bright over alleged stealing of his mobile phones and laptop. 

But the victims when accosted by the vigilante in the Omokiri community told them they were in the area to demand monetary debt.

Ignoring their (victims) pleadings that they were not armed robbers and instead should be handed over to the po­lice, the vigilante and residents of the area who assumed they have caught some of the boys who the claimed had allegedly been ter­rorising the area.

As at the time of the incident, criminal activities was very high in the community, the mob tor­tured the victims and finally burnt them with condemned tyres.

While the villagers ked by the vigilante were parading the vic­tim in the community, police team detailed to the area went to the scene, without taking any action of stopping the crowd from taking law into their hands, looked at the victims and left them in the mercy of the mob. 

It was gathered that some of the policemen at the scene encour­aged the action.

After the bodies of the victims were taken out by their relations and a new police team detailed to investigate the incident, there was massive arrest by the police, where 20 persons were charged to a Magistrate court in Port Harcourt. Eight persons were later discharged and acquitted.

However eight count infor­mation was filed on August 1, 2013 against 12 accused persons in the murder of the four stu­dents in Justice Letan Nyordee’s State High Court.

In four of the counts which bothered on murder, the punish­ment was according to Section 319 (1) of the Criminal Code law of Rivers State, which states: “Any person who commits the offence of murder shall be sen­tenced to death”.

The other four counts which bothered on conspiracy to fel­ony, its punishment is liable to two years imprisonment.

Upon arraignment , each of the accused persons pleaded not guilty. At the close of the evidence, ten out of the twelve of the defendants each filed a no case submission.

At the end submissions by five defendants; Alhaji Hassan Wele­wa, Lawal Segun, Okoghiroh Endurance, Ozioma Abajuo and Chigozie Evans Samuel were up­held and they were discharged and acquitted in January, while those of the seven defendants were overruled and the court commenced hearing on them.

During the trial, the first prosecution in the matter, Ser­geant Rapheal Ezechi tendered his testimony to the court which he gathered on October 5, 2012.

Upon the report by Ezechi and his team who claimed to have visited the scene of inci­dent, they said they went and saw the remains of the victims at the spot where they were murdered. 

They said they vis­ited areas where the victims were paraded before they were finally lynched to death.

The prosecution submitted photographs and video clips for evidence and it was recorded and admitted as evidence in the court.

The police also reported the tendered obtained statements from the complainants as well as the defendants.

Ezechi told the court that au­topsy was conducted on the de­ceases corpse by a Pathologist, Dr Sereye Fubara, who confirmed that the boys died as a result of multiple injuries received in their bodies as well as their skulls and bones.

During the cross examination in the court, the ex-police ser­geant, Lucky Orji who was sup­posed to rescued the victims was found in the video clip shown in court, hitting one of the victims with the bout of his AK 47 gun before the massive crowd arrived.

The 2nd defendant David Chinasa Ogbada was also found in the clip putting a tyre on the neck of the victims before they were set ablaze and burnt till death.

It took the effort of the father of one of the victims, Mike Tok­wo Mike who was alerted by a relation to arrive the scene and took the deceased to the Univer­sity of Port Harcourt Teaching, where they were confirmed dead due to the degree of injuries in­flicted on them.

The police patrol team that ar­rive the scene first looked at the victims and the mob and left.

In his confession, ex-Sgt Lucky Orji, disclosed that he was deployed to Isiokpo police station but was posted with his team out on special assignment to Aluu on October 4, 2012.

He denied his action against the victim but the video clip im­plicated him in the matter.

On Monday July 31, 2017 Jus­tice Nyordee sentenced Sgt Lucky Orji and two other per­sons; Ikechukwu Louis Amadi and David Chinasa Ogbada to death over the murder of the four students.