Today, February 1, the Court of Appeal in Lagos is scheduled to announce its decision on the death sentence passed on Chukwuemeka Ezeugo known popularly as Rev. King, the General-Overseer of the
Christian Praying Assembly, by a Lagos High Court, Ikeja on January 11, 2007.
Ezeugo’s counsel, Olalekan Ojo had filed an appeal following the sentence that the lower court judge, Justice Joseph Oyewole passed arguing it erred in law in many respects.
According to reports, on November 5, 2007, Oyewole convicted Ezeugo and sentenced him to death by hanging for the murder of a church member, Ann Uzoh who was set on fire.
At the hearing of the appeal, Ojo held on that Ezeugo did not commit the crime; in fact he was not at the scene at all. He said that Uzoh in two statements before her death had said she sustained the injuries in a generator accident.
He added that Uzoh exonerated Ezeugo in the statements, claiming that the latter was not responsible for her injuries however, in a third statement the deceased said the appellant was the one who ordered petrol to be poured on her, thereby contradicting the first two statements.
The prosecution, represented by the Lagos State Solicitor-General, Lawal Pedro, (SAN), urged the court to uphold Oyewole’s judgment. “We urge your Lordships to dismiss this appeal,” Pedro said.
According to reports from the prosecution, Ezeugo had poured petrol on the deceased and five others and set them on fire thereafter. Uzoh died on August 2, 2006, 11 days after the incident, because of the injuries sustained from the incident. On September 26, 2006, Ezeugo was arraigned on six counts of attempted murder.
