A human rights group, Integrated Coalition for Human Rights, has called for the death sentence passed on founder of Christian Praying Assembly (CPA), Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, aka Rev. King, to be commuted.
The group frowned at the death penalty affirmed by the Supreme Court, describing it as travesty of justice.
In a statement signed by Dr. Raphel Umoren, the group claimed that the trial and eventual conviction of the cleric by the Supreme Court was not in consonance with known legal procedure for death penalty in the country.
It said Rev. King’s arrest from the day of the incident, which occurred in 2006, was fraught with indiscretions by the police.
“We will lose sense of history if we fail to record the misdemeanour and abuse of power by the police from day one. It is on record that the SARS team that invaded his house after the allegation made away with over N5.5m church harvest without warrant.
“Even after he was arraigned at the Magistrate’s Court on a two-count charge of conspiracy and attempted murder of seven members of his church, one of the female prosecution witnesses conspired with police and slammed an assault suit against him inside the court room while another witness said on oath that Rev. King never poured fuel on anybody and that was why she was not used at the trial in the high court.
The group said its concern is “the judicial lacuna created by the entire procedure which smacked of trial through public opinion and not backed by any known, cherished and respected judicial precedence.”