A Delta State High Court in Kwale has sentenced 24-year-old Ebinum Prosper to death by hanging for the murder of his classmate, Ojieh Chibogu, in Ugiliama Community.
The verdict was delivered on Monday, March 2, 2026, by Justice F. Enemor of High Court No. 2, Kwale, after the court found Prosper guilty of murder.
The prosecution, led by Mrs. Catherine O. Onoberhie-Oberuomo, Assistant Director in the Delta State Ministry of Justice, told the court that the incident occurred on June 29, 2016, in Ugiliama Community. Evidence showed that Prosper stabbed Chibogu with a knife following a disagreement, resulting in his death.
The case, filed as Suit No. HCK/89C/2022, State vs. Ebinum Prosper, was originally handled in Asaba. However, during the 2020 EndSARS protests, court documents and exhibits had been destroyed in a fire while the case was at the address stage.
After the creation of the Kwale Criminal Division, the prosecution successfully requested a trial de novo in Kwale, where the crime occurred. Certified copies of the original case file were obtained from the High Court Registry in Asaba to reconstruct the records for the fresh trial.
The defence delayed opening its case for over a year after the prosecution concluded its presentation.
In his judgment, Justice Enemor ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt. The court therefore convicted Prosper of murder and sentenced him to death by hanging.
