The Sekondi High Court, presided over by Justice Richard Agyei Frimpong, sentenced two Nigerians, Sam Udeotuk Wills and John Orji, to death for their roles in the kidnapping and murder of four girls.
The verdict came after a seven-member jury found them guilty on all eight counts of conspiracy to murder and murder.
After nearly three hours of deliberation, Justice Agyei Frimpong issued the verdict after reminding the two convicts’ counsel of their right to appeal within a 30-day period.
Between July and December 2018, the two convicts kidnapped and murdered Ruth Abakah, 19; Priscilla Blessing Bentum, 21; Ruth Love Quayson, 18; and Priscilla Koranchie, 15 in one of the most talked-about criminal cases in recent times.
The incident sparked a national debate, with many public protests held, particularly in Takoradi, to demand the return of the girls and to pressure the government to act quickly.
Samuel Udeotuk Wills was arrested in December 2018 for the crime, but he escaped a few days later. He was quickly arrested again and charged with the same offence.
On April 29, 2019, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison on two of three charges, unlawful escape from lawful custody and destroying public property, but acquitted on the third charge, resisting arrest.
John Orji was arrested and brought before a Sekondi High Court on June 12, 2019. And on June 26th, 2019, the two of them appeared before the High Court together.
They were later charged with kidnapping and conspiracy.
On July 31, 2019, their plea on conspiracy and kidnapping charges was accepted, and the facts were presented.
According to the court’s fact sheet, the accused’s Facebook chats revealed coded language about kidnapping and blood sacrifice.
Following the discovery of the skeletal remains on August 2, 2019, and subsequent investigations, which included the results of DNA samples taken from the families, the accused were charged with conspiracy and murder.
In total, 27 witnesses appeared in court to give statements and were cross-examined.
Sam Udeotuk Wills and John Orji both denied kidnapping or murdering any of the girls during their statements and cross-examination.
Wills, on the other hand, acknowledged knowing and being friends with two of the four girls, Priscilla Blessing Bentum and Priscilla Mantebia Kurankyi.
Also read: Udeotuk admits to knowing two of the murdered Takoradi girls
Wills also denied discussing kidnapping and blood money on Facebook with some of his friends, which investigators presented to the court as evidence.
He told the court that his Facebook name is King Samuel, not Samuel Udeotuk Wills.
On his part, John Orji denied four of the charge sheets read to him and had his signature and thumbprint taken.
He also denied telling investigators that when he visited Sam in Takoradi, he told him he had killed someone.
Orji claimed that not all of this information came from him and that some were obtained under duress.
The Sekondi High Court set Friday, March 5, 2021, as the date for the verdict in the murder trial of Sam Udeotuk Wills and John Orji after their lawyers closed their defence and subsequent cross-examinations on February 3rd.
Patience Klinogo, the State Attorney, filed her written address on February 17, 2021, but the defence counsels failed to file their written address on February 24, 2021.
Both the defence and prosecution were supposed to give their oral arguments to the seven-member Jury on March 3rd, the day before the judgement, but they did not appear before the Court on that day.
The Presiding Judge was forced to postpone the addresses until March 4th.
On March 4, the defence counsels for the two accused, George Essilfu-Ansah and Mark Bosia, representing Sam Udoetuk Wills and John Oji, respectively, did not appear, but the counsel for the second accused, Samuel Agbota, also a lawyer, did.
Patience Klinogo, the State Attorney, however, delivered an oral address to the Jury in which she questioned John Orji’s inability to state his “Alabi,” and thus his whereabouts at the time the crime was committed.
She did, however, claim that both Sam Wills and Orji contradicted themselves during cross-examination of the statements they gave to police and signed and that they are thus liable to the eight counts of conspiracy to murder and murder.
Source: CitiNews
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