The Appeal Court in Calabar, Cross River State, has in the last couple of minutes today, Thursday, May 16, 2019, affirmed the death by hanging sentence, passed by the High Courtin Calabar on one Godwin Elewana, a retired NNPC staff, for shooting and killing 22-year old Douglas Ojugbo, www.calitown.com can authoritatively reveal.
Elewana on March 10, 2015, committed the act over suspicion that the victim was having an affair with his daughter, Mercy. He is said to have chased the deceased with an assault rifle and repeatedly shot and killed him. He then hurriedly had the deceased buried at the Goldie cemetery, Calabar. Elewana, who had been in prison custody since 2016, was arraigned on a one-count charge of murder in case No. HC/9C/2015 and brought before the then presiding Judge of High Court (Nine), along Moore Road in Calabar, Justice Ukpa Ebitam, who convicted Elewana.
On the strength of the above, the convict, took his case to the Court of Appeal, Calabar. Hon Justice Y. Nimpar of the Court of Appeal Calabar who read the judgement today, dismissed Elenwana’s application, affirming instead the judgement of the lower court and throwing out his application seeking to squash his conviction.
Father of the deceased, Ogar Ojugbo, who spoke with www.calitown.com at the Court of Appeal premises, shortly after the judgement was delivered, was emphatic that, “they can be no difference with the lower court ruling; the evidence is overwhelming and the lower court did a thorough job”.
