Justice C. D. Diai of a Delta State High Court sitting in Asaba has sentenced an Inspector of Police, Ubi Ebri, to death for killing Mr Emmanuel Ibeh, a telephone repairer/seller.
Ebri was convicted and sentenced after the prosecution, led by a director in the Ministry of Justice, Mr E.H. Edema, proved the murder case beyond reasonable doubt.
According to the prosecution Ebri was part of a police patrol team that mounted a stop-and-search exercise on April 5, 2023, along Ugbolu Asaba road in the state Capital.
The deceased, Ibeh, and his wife were driving from Ugbolu to Asaba when they were flagged down by the police team. The deceased complied with the request. But after waiting for a while to be searched without being attended to, he decided to pull out and drive away.
Infuriated by the action, the convict opened fire on the vehicle. Bullets hit Ibeh on the head and he died instantly. The wife who sat in the front seat beside him was unhurt.
Shortly after the judgement on Tuesday, Mr Edema described the ruling as a landmark, saying justice had been served to the deceased and the society.
