Court sentences reverend to death by hanging

olamide oni

February 26, 2016 12:58 PM

Ezeugo was arraigned on a six-count charge of attempted murder and murder. He pleaded not guilty to the charges but he was eventually sentenced to death by the then Justice Joseph Oyewole of the Lagos state high court, Ikeja

Reverend King to die by hanging

Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, General Overseer of the Christian Praying Assembly (better known as Reverend King) has reportedly be sentenced by the Supreme Court to death by hanging.

On September 26, 2006, Ezeugo was arraigned on a six-count charge of attempted murder and murder. He pleaded not guilty to the charges but he was eventually sentenced to death by the then Justice Joseph Oyewole of the Lagos state high court, Ikeja, on January 11, 2007, for the murder of one of his church members, Ann Uzoh.

The Lagos State government said the convict poured petrol on the deceased and five other persons and that Uzoh died on August 2, 2006 – 11 days after the act was perpetrated on her.

READ: Supreme Court fixes Feb. 26 for judgement on Rev. King's death sentence

Specifically, Ezeugo was convicted and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for the attempted murder, and death by hanging for the offence of murder.

Dissatisfied, he challenged the verdict before the court of appeal in Lagos, but the appeal was thrown out. ’’I hereby rule that the prosecution effectively discharged the burden of proof on it. This appeal is devoid of any basis and accordingly fails,” Justice Fatimo Akinbami had said while reading the judgment.

“The judgment of the high court is hereby affirmed, and the conviction imposed on the appellant (which is death by hanging), is also affirmed.”

olamide oni