One Telema Amaso is to die by hanging for killing one Helen Ibiba Bob-Manuel, that’s according to a Rivers State High Court verdict.
Telema Amaso the murdered Helen Ibiba Bobmanuel by strangling her to death at her residence in the Woji area of the state in 2013.
The accused and one Ndubuisi Chukwuemeka were tried for murder, conspiracy to commit murder and stealing but the conspiracy to commit murder accusation was struck out for the second defendant.
Amaso, who was convicted of murder, was a domestic staff to late Mrs Bobmanuel and her late husband at the time he committed the crime.
Delivering her judgment, Justice Silverline Iragunima said that the first and second defendants were convicted with overwhelming evidence before the court including the confessional statements made to the police which indicted them of committing the crime.
She ruled that though the first defendant, Telema Amaso denied and retracted his confessional statement, he failed to convince the court that he did not commit the crime.
Justice Iragunima, while convicting the 2nd defendant, Ndubuisi Chukwuemeka for stealing, ruled that the Defendant did not convince the court enough to discharge him of the offence, after claiming he had no knowledge that the first defendant had committed such crime.
On his part, Counsel to the two convicts Chinedum Ugwu said they will seek the advice of their client whether to challenge the ruling or not.
Recall that Telema Amaso and Ndubuisi Chukwuemeka were arrested on 17 September 2013, shortly after the murder of Mrs Hellen Ibiba Bobmanuel with her properties worth five million naira, including a Hyundai Elantra saloon car, laptop and phones taken away from her house by the 1st Defendant, with the assistance of the 2nd Defendant.
