KWALE: A High Court in Delta State has sentenced a man and his accomplice to death by hanging for the murder of the man’s mother.
The convicts, Lucky Edozien, 44, and Amaechi Enuebuka, 33, were found guilty of killing Edozien’s 70-year-old mother, Janeth Odinuwe, after accusing her of witchcraft.
The judgment was delivered by Justice D. C. Maidoh of the Delta State High Court, sitting in the Kwale Judicial Division.
The case, marked HCK/54C/2023 – State vs. Lucky Edozien & Amaechi Enuebuka, was concluded on March 25, 2026, with the court convicting both defendants and sentencing them to death by hanging.
According to the court, the crime occurred on April 13, 2023, at the victim’s residence in Umudike Quarters, Ossissa, in Ndokwa West Local Government Area.
Justice Maidoh ruled that the actions of the convicts violated Section 319 of the Criminal Code Law of Delta State, which prescribes the death penalty for murder.
During the trial, the court heard that Edozien allegedly believed a ring worn by his mother was responsible for the misfortunes he was experiencing in life.
Prosecutors told the court that Edozien conspired with Enuebuka to carry out the murder.
According to the prosecution, Edozien persuaded Enuebuka to distract the victim’s sister, Paulinah Okonji, by pretending to negotiate the purchase of scrap metal located behind the house.
The distraction allegedly allowed Edozien to enter his mother’s room without interruption, where he strangled her to death.
The prosecution was led by Catherine Onoberhie-Oberuomo, an Assistant Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice.
She told the court that Edozien and Enuebuka conspired to commit the murder, noting that Enuebuka, a commercial motorcyclist and part-time disc jockey, played a role in executing the plan.
Despite the absence of an eyewitness and the refusal of the victim’s sister to testify in court, the prosecution relied heavily on the Doctrine of Last Seen as well as investigative evidence presented by police officers involved in the case.
The court held that the evidence presented by the prosecution sufficiently established the guilt of the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.
In delivering judgment, Justice Maidoh ruled that the prosecution had successfully proved its case and that both men were responsible for the death of the elderly woman.
He therefore found them guilty of murder and sentenced them to death by hanging.
The case has sparked public reactions across Delta State, with many observers describing the crime as tragic and disturbing, particularly because the victim was allegedly killed by her own son over accusations of witchcraft.
