Man commits suicide in Kuje prison after death sentence
Obinna Echianu, a 43-year old businessman who was sentenced to death, has committed suicide inside Kuje prison in Abuja.
The inmate was sentenced to death for killing an Uber driver identified as Edwin Ali, alongside Everly Nnorom, a 27-year-old student and accomplice who has been discharged and acquitted of the crime.
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Donatus Abah, the prosecutor, told the court that both men conspired and planned to rob and kill on Dec. 25, 2016, a crime that is punishable by death under the law.
The assailants were armed with a revolver pistol and 33 live ammunition and forcefully took the deceased’s Nissan Almera car and a mobile phone at Gosa pedestrian bridge, Airport Road, Abuja. After the robbery, Echianu shot and murdered the driver before fleeing the scene.
According to a report by Sahara Reporters, a source said Echianu was so unhappy about his sentence that he decided to take his life.
The source said: “He went into the bathroom in his cell and hanged himself. His lifeless body was discovered dangling from a rope around his neck. It is not clear what triggered this last act.
“However, it raises questions about the condition of the prison system in Nigeria. Why could a person on death row have easy access to a means of hanging himself? Also, what is the state of healthcare in the prisons, especially for inmates with mental health issues?
“It is now too late for anyone to know what would have been the outcome of his appeal. Death of the accused ends every criminal trial,” the source said.
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