A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has sentenced Eze Kingsley to death for the murder of mortuary owner, David Wagbara. Kingsley, a petroleum tanker conductor, stabbed Wagbara to death on December 7, 2018, in Rumuosi Community, along the East-West Road in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area. The fatal confrontation occurred after an argument when Wagbara asked the tanker driver to move his vehicle, which was blocking the entrance to his mortuary.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Omah Diepreye ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, leading to Kingsley’s conviction and death sentence.
In a separate case, a Chief Magistrate Court in Port Harcourt, presided over by Chief Magistrate Rosemary Ibanibo, withdrew from an attempted murder and cultism trial involving Dele Akpobari, known as ‘Bob Satan’. Akpobari is accused of attempting to murder Gani Topba, leader of the Conscience of Ogoni People (COOP), on March 12, 2023.
During Monday’s hearing, Chief Magistrate Ibanibo noted that the charges filed by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) were beyond the court’s jurisdiction. She advised the defendant to apply for bail at the state High Court, which has the proper authority to handle the case.
