Anthony Umukoro V. The State (1982)

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G. IRIKEFE, J.S.C.

The appellant in this case mercilessly hacked to death the wife of his landlord over a dispute involving the sum of N4 which the said appellant paid in settlement of dispute adjudicated upon by a communal tribunal.

The appellant felt that it was his landlord who had pressurised him into paying this unjust levy or fine.At his trial the appellant relied on 3 defences, namely (a) provocation (b) self defence and (c) insanity. In a very well written judgment, Kolawole, J., at the High Court, quite rightly in my view, accepted the case of the prosecution and rejected the defences of the appellant. The appeal to the Court of Appeal was, in my view, rightly dismissed. I find no grounds for faulting the decisions of the two earlier courts and I would also dismiss this appeal.

Appeal dismissed and the decision of the Ijebu-Ode High Court (Kolawole, J) dated 19th February, 1979, wherein the appellant was convicted and sentenced to death is hereby affirmed.

Other Citation: (1982) LCN/2164(SC)