A High Court in Izzi, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, has sentenced 30-year-old Boniface Abraham Edigbo to death by hanging for the murder of Ogbonna Joshua, an 18-year-old senior secondary school student.
The verdict, delivered by Justice Ruth Okeh on Saturday, came after Edigbo was found guilty of lacing a drink with Sniper insecticide, which he gave to Joshua—leading to the teenager’s death. The incident occurred on 1, after Edigbo reportedly invited the boy to a hotel under false pretenses.
Court documents revealed that Edigbo and Joshua had been in a secret sexual relationship since 2021 and had agreed to keep it confidential. However, when Joshua began experiencing health complications—allegedly related to the relationship—he confided in his school principal and peers. This breach of trust led Edigbo to orchestrate his murder.
The court heard that Edigbo booked a room at Edigbo Guest House and lured Joshua there on May 22. The next morning, he offered the teen a soft drink mixed with poison. Joshua died shortly after consuming the drink.
Following the crime, Edigbo confessed to a local woman, stating that he acted out of fear when Joshua exposed their relationship. The woman, pretending to help, alerted community members who apprehended Edigbo and escorted him to the crime scene, where the victim’s body was discovered in Room 006.
Ogbonna Joshua was a student at Community Secondary School, Amachi, located in Izzi Local Government Area.
During the trial, prosecuting counsel Mrs. Ijeoma Mike-Ajanwachukwu hailed the judgment, describing it as a strong deterrent against sexual exploitation and murder.
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