A woman, Enobong Isonguyo, who was sentenced to death for the 2013 gruesome murder of her husband, Victor Isonguyo, has been set free by the Supreme Court.
The lady was sentenced to death for allegedly killing her husband with their family Pastor, Udoka Ukachukwu, now on the run.
Isonguyo, a Senior Director with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, was killed around Sapele Road in Benin City, Edo State and burnt beyond recognition inside his Toyota Corolla car.
Isonguyo and Ukachukwu were arrested, convicted and sentenced to death by hanging by the initial trial court.
An appellate court upheld the trial court’s decision, confirming the death penalty for the duo.
However, Isonguyo’s defence counsel, Olayiwola Afolabi, proceeded to the Supreme Court, where the earlier judgements were overturned.
In a landmark judgement delivered by Justice Mary Odili, the Supreme Court resolved that the ruling from the lower court was based on speculation and imagination, which are not part of the criminal code.
The court described the death sentence as a miscarriage of justice and ordered the woman to be released unconditionally.
Ukachukwu, who was sentenced along with Isonguyo in 2013, escaped from prison custody during the 2020 EndSARS protest.
