A Bayelsa State High Court sitting in Yenagoa has sentenced four men to death for the murder of a taxi driver, Mr. Olarenwaju Ajayi, during a trip to Onne, Rivers State.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday at the Bayelsa State High Court II in Onopa, Yenagoa, the presiding judge, Hon. Justice Patience Ama Zuofa Diri, in the suit number YHC/21C/2021: The State v. Sunday Imoh Essien, Opena Akpabio, Odogha Ebi, and Clifford Michael, found the defendants guilty for the offences of conspiracy, murder and armed robbery, and sentenced them to death.
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The convicts had chartered Mr. Ajayi, a commercial taxi driver operating between Yenagoa and Port-Harcourt, under the guise of attending a naval programme in Onne, Rivers State.
Mr. Ajayi picked them up at Agudama-Epie and headed to Onne.
The journey, however, turned fatal at Okogbe in Rivers State.
Under the pretence of easing himself, the first defendant, Mr. Sunday Imoh, asked the driver to stop the vehicle.
Once he stopped, the other occupants of the vehicle launched a coordinated attack on Mr. Ajayi. They held him by the neck using a marine rope, and stabbed him to death.
After committing the act, the convicts disposed of the body of the deceased and drove the stolen vehicle to Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State, where they sold it for N450,000.
Bayelsa State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Biriyai Dambo, SAN, affirmed the state’s commitment to upholding justice.
He emphasised that the conviction underscores Bayelsa State Government’s zero-tolerance for crime and its unwavering commitment to ensuring that criminals face the full weight of the law.