The Enugu High Court, on Wednesday, sentenced Chiamaka Ifezue to death by hanging for killing Ijeoma Nweke, a make-up artist, on November 11, 2020.

The court, presided over by Justice Kenneth Okpe, in a two-hour judgment, found the accused guilty of killing Ms Nweke by forcing her to drink a poisonous substance, which led to her death.

Mr Okpe said, “The defendant was in count two, charged under Section 274(1) of the Criminal Code Law of Enugu State Cap. 30 Revised Laws of Enugu State, 2004, which prescribes death sentence as punishment.”

He said the defendant, though having a gentle mien, had a heart of steel.

According to the judge, the defendant carried on through the trial with a sense of fulfilment that the mission was accomplished and that her freedom was a matter of time.

“There was no remorse shown from the beginning of the trial to judgment day. I hereby sentence the defendant, Ifezue Chiamaka, to death by hanging until she is dead. May God have mercy on her,” Mr Okpe said.

Ms Nweke was said to have left her house on November 11, 2020, for a job but went missing after that until her corpse was found on November 16, 2020, in a refuse dump in the Maryland area of Enugu.

The Enugu director of public prosecution, C.C. Chigbo, described the judgment as a victory for justice. 

(NAN)