A High Court in Ukwa, Abia State, has sentenced former members of the defunct Bakassi Group, now known as the Abia State Vigilante Services, Mr. Ugochukwu Amaugo and Mr. Udo Ogba Oka, to death by hanging for alleged murder.
The verdict was delivered by Hon. Justice Chibuzo Ahuchaogu, who found them guilty of an alleged murder that took place on August 30, 2013.
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The convicted individuals, formerly part of the Bakassi group and currently members of the Abia State Vigilante Services, claimed that on August 30, 2013, they apprehended two young men named Temple Nwakanma and Martins Azih around Osisioma, Aba. They alleged that the young men were in possession of firearms, cartridges, and knives.
Subsequently, they transported the arrested men from Osisioma to their Umuahia office. During this transfer, they encountered Nigerian Army personnel at Abia Tower. Following an interrogation, the military personnel requested the handover of the boys, which was complied with.
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The convicts asserted that they neither knew the names of the military personnel nor received any note from them during the handover. However, the whereabouts of the young men became unknown thereafter, with the local military denying having received them.
Despite efforts over the past 11 years to determine the fate of these young men, their whereabouts remain elusive.
The case has been in court since the incident and concluded recently, with Hon. Justice Chibuzo Ahuchaogu handing down a death sentence by hanging to both former members of the Bakassi group. The verdict was based on the failure to conclusively prove that the convicted individuals had handed the boys to the Nigerian Army personnel, leaving them unaware of the victims’ disappearance.
The judgment was pronounced over the murder of the victims, Mr. Temple Nwakanma and Mr. Martins Azih.”
