3 men sentenced to death for killing lawyer in Rivers

On Tuesday, a Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt officially sentenced three men to death by hanging after they were convicted for the kidnap and murder of a 32-year-old lawyer, Sampson Worlu, in 2015.

The three convicts, Chiwendu Alozie, Wilfred Jumbo and Gift Amadi, were tried for kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder and murder.

They were arrested in 2016 following an investigation conducted by the Department of State Services after the family of the late Worlu reported the matter.

Justice Chinwendu Nwogu, who convicted the three persons, said evidence provided by the prosecution team was overwhelming and the confessional statements by the accused were weighty enough and the court relied on them to deliver the judgement.

He added that the court was convinced that they committed the crime and the law could not look the other way.

One of the persons arrested with the three convicts, Chijioke Wisdom, died in prison custody, while three others who allegedly participated in the kidnap and murder were still at large.

Speaking with our correspondent outside the courtroom, family members of the deceased, Charles Worlu and George Chindah, said they were happy that justice was served.

They regretted that the kidnappers, despite collecting N1m from them, killed their relative who was on his mandatory one year National Youth Service Corps programme in Imo State.

In a related development, Justice Silverline Iragonima on Tuesday also sentenced a house help, Telema Amaso, to death by hanging for the murder of late Helen Ibiba Bobmauel, who was strangled in 2013 at her residence in the Woji area of the state.

Amaso and her conspirator, Ndubuisi Chukwuemeka, were earlier tried for murder, conspiracy to murder and stealing. Iragonima, while delivering her judgement, said the first and second defendants were convicted because of overwhelming evidence before the court, including the confessional statements given to the police whic