“Death by hanging”: Appeal court delivers verdict on Rev. King today

Today, February 1, the Court of Appeal in Lagos is scheduled to
announce its decision on the death sentence passed on Chukwuemeka
Ezeugo known popularly as Rev. King , the General-Overseer of the
Christian Praying Assembly, by a Lagos High Court, Ikeja on January
11, 2007.
Ezeugo's counsel, Olalekan Ojo had filed an appeal following the
sentence that the lower court judge, Justice Joseph Oyewole passed
arguing it erred in law in many respects.
According to reports , on November 5, 2007, Oyewole convicted Ezeugo
and sentenced him to death by hanging for the murder of a church
member, Ann Uzoh who was set on fire.
At the hearing of the appeal, Ojo held on that Ezeugo did not commit
the crime; in fact he was not at the scene at all. He said that Uzoh
in two statements before her death had said she sustained the injuries
in a generator accident.
He added that Uzoh exonerated Ezeugo in the statements, claiming that
the latter was not responsible for her injuries however, in a third
statement the deceased said the appellant was the one who ordered
petrol to be poured on her, thereby contradicting the first two
statements.
The prosecution, represented by the Lagos State Solicitor-General,
Lawal Pedro, (SAN), urged the court to uphold Oyewole's judgment. "We
urge your Lordships to dismiss this appeal," Pedro said.
According to reports from the prosecution, Ezeugo had poured petrol on
the deceased and five others and set them on fire thereafter. Uzoh
died on August 2, 2006, 11 days after the incident, because of the
injuries sustained from the incident. On September 26, 2006, Ezeugo
was arraigned on six counts of attempted murder.