Court Sentences Ebonyi LG Chairman’s Cousin, Three Others to Death by Hanging for Murder

The Ebonyi State High Court sitting in the Ohaukwu Judicial Division has sentenced four men to death by hanging for the brutal killing of 26-year-old businessman Chinonso Elom, popularly known as Oscar. Among the convicted is Anthony Elom, a cousin to the Chairman of Ohaukwu Local Government Area.

The incident took place on February 6, 2023, in front of Chinonso’s business premises near the busy Okwo Ngbo Main Market. The attackers, reportedly known cultists and political thugs, arrived in a Sienna bus and confronted Chinonso over the whereabouts of his younger brother, citing a prior dispute. When he failed to provide information, the group attempted to force him into the vehicle. Chinonso resisted, prompting Anthony Elom to fatally shoot him in the head with a shotgun.

The killing sparked widespread outrage across Ngbo community and led to mass protests by youths demanding justice. A swift police investigation followed, aided by eyewitness accounts and forensic evidence, leading to the arrest and prosecution of Anthony Elom, Chibueze Onwe, Chief Chukwuemeka Ugah, and Uchenna Odono. A fifth suspect, ThankGod Onwe, remains at large.

During the court proceedings on Thursday, May 14, 2025, Justice Esther Otah ruled that the prosecution presented overwhelming evidence, including forensic analysis linking the weapon to the crime. She dismissed the defense’s arguments as grossly inadequate and found the accused guilty of conspiracy and murder, stating that they acted together in executing a calculated and cold-blooded crime.

The court pronounced the death sentence on all four convicts. Defense counsel Barrister Chinedu Uwa expressed disappointment with the ruling and pledged to appeal. Meanwhile, prosecuting counsel Barrister Oluchi Ibiam, alongside Barristers Chinedu Ugadu and Chinedu Ituma, described the judgment as a landmark for justice and a warning against political violence and cult-related killings in the state.