An Izzi High Court in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi State, has handed a death sentence by hanging to a 30-year-old man, Boniface Abraham Edigbo, for the murder of 18-year-old SS2 student, Ogbonna Joshua.
The conviction followed revelations by the deceased about their sexual relationship, which allegedly led to anal health complications.
According to reports, Edigbo ended the teenager’s life by poisoning him in a hotel on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, shortly after their final sexual encounter the previous night.
Joshua, who was a student at Community Secondary School in Amachi, located within Izzi Local Government Area, had reportedly been involved with Edigbo since 2021.
In 2023, they allegedly made a pact to keep their relationship secret.
Trouble began when Joshua began suffering from anal issues and confided in his school principal and some fellow students. This disclosure made the matter public.
In reaction, Edigbo allegedly invited the boy to Edigbo Guest House, where they spent the night of May 22, 2023.
The following morning, he reportedly gave Joshua a drink laced with insecticide after mixing it with Fanta, leading to the teenager’s death.
Afterward, Edigbo is said to have informed a woman about the incident, claiming, he did not intend to kill the boy but acted because the boy revealed their homosexual relationship to others.
The woman allegedly told him to wait while she went to get him money to escape the state but instead alerted community youths. They captured Edigbo and took him back to the hotel, where Joshua’s body was found in Room 006.
Justice Ruth Okeh, who presided over the case, ruled the defendant guilty and imposed the death sentence.
The prosecuting counsel, Mrs. Ijeoma Mike-Aja Nwachukwu, welcomed the decision, saying, the judgement would serve as a deterrent to others who had been committing such heinous crimes in society.
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