A High Court in Awka has sentenced Silas Uwa to life imprisonment for killing his uncle, Mr Nweke Eziokwu, during a land dispute.
Justice Okechukwu Nwabunike, who delivered the judgment on Monday, said murder can be proved through direct eyewitness evidence, a confessional statement or circumstantial evidence.
The judge said there was no direct eyewitness to the killing, but ruled that the prosecution provided credible circumstantial evidence linking Uwa to the crime. He also dismissed Uwa’s claim of self-defence.
Earlier, Chief State Counsel, Mr Ifeanyi Oguejiofor, told the court that Uwa and Eziokwu had a disagreement over ownership of a parcel of land in Ebenebe, Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The prosecution said Eziokwu’s kinsmen had agreed that the land belonged to him, but Uwa and his siblings rejected the decision.
According to the prosecution, Uwa chose to attack his uncle instead of seeking legal redress and hacked him to death.
Four witnesses, including the Investigating Police Officer, testified for the prosecution.
The defence argued that Uwa acted in self-defence and that the prosecution failed to prove murder beyond reasonable doubt because there was no eyewitness to the killing.
