Court sentences Kalu to death for murder

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja has sentenced a 22-year-old man, Emmanuel Kalu to death.

Kalu was sentenced by Justice Peter Kekemeke over the brutal murder of a phone dealer, Vincent Anujuem, during a robbery.

It was gathered that the tragic incident occurred on March 20, 2023.

According to court records, the Kalu ordered the iPhone 13 Pro Max valued at ₦680,000 online after which Anujuem left home with his younger brother, Michael, to deliver the phone.

Michael made a distress call to his elder brother, Emmanuel, some hour later that Vincent had been stabbed in the stomach at a hotel where he had gone to meet the supposed buyer.

The court convicted Kalu on two counts of armed robbery and culpable homicide after the prosecution presented damning evidence against him.

According to PM News, Kalu lured his victim with a fake iPhone 13 purchase.

Kekemeke ruled that the prosecution had “proved their case beyond reasonable doubt.”

The court found that Kalu not only stole the phone but also fatally stabbed Anujem during the transaction.

“The defendant is found guilty on both counts and is accordingly convicted. He is hereby sentenced to death.”

The judge ruled that Kalu’s actions violated Section 221 of the Penal Code and the Firearms Act, both of which prescribe the death penalty for such offenses.

The convicts, arrested in 2019, were found guilty of beating Musa to death with a stick over accusations of witchcraft.

The court’s ruling included six years imprisonment for conspiracy and the death penalty for homicide, with a 90-day right to appeal.

The attack was prompted by a dream in which one of the accused’s wives saw Abubakar chasing her with a knife.

While executions are rare in Nigeria , the ruling has sparked discussions on superstition-driven violence and justice.