By Our Reporter
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has sentenced three men to death by hanging for the murder of a pharmacist in Khana Local Government Area.
The convicts — Confidence Kirinee, also known as General Illa, Precious Monia, and Soniabari Sagha — were found guilty of conspiracy, cultism, kidnapping, and murder. Another defendant, Loveday Legah, was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of cultism.
The four were prosecuted for their involvement in the killing of pharmacist Muenalo Sunday, which occurred on March 5, 2019, in Zaakpo community.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Augusta Chukwu held that the prosecution had successfully proved its case against the defendants.
According to the court, evidence and confessional statements showed that the convicts, identified as members of the Iceland cult group, conspired to kidnap and murder the victim.
The court heard that after killing the pharmacist, the attackers mutilated the body, dumped the remains in a pit, and allegedly took the severed head to a shrine located in a nearby community.
Justice Chukwu ruled that Kirinee, Monia, and Sagha should be hanged until confirmed dead, while Legah would spend the rest of his life in prison.
Reacting to the verdict, prosecution counsel Precious Ordu of the Rivers State Ministry of Justice commended the court for what he described as a thorough trial, saying the judgment had delivered justice for both the victim and society.
Counsel to the convicts declined to comment on the ruling.