From Kenechukwu Obiajuru, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State High Court sitting in Yenagoa has sentenced four men to death by hanging for the brutal murder of a taxi driver, Mr. Olarenwaju Ajayi, during a supposed trip to Onne, Rivers State.
The judgment, delivered on Thursday, July 10, 2025, by Hon. Justice Patience Ama Zuofa Diri of Bayelsa State High Court 11, Onopa, in suit number YHC/21C/2021: The State vs. Sunday Imoh Essien, Opena Akpabio, Odogha Ebi, and Clifford Michael, found the defendants guilty of conspiracy, murder, and armed robbery.
According to court findings, the convicts chartered the services of Mr. Ajayi, a commercial taxi driver who operated between Yenagoa and Port Harcourt, under the guise of attending a naval program in Onne, Rivers State. They boarded the vehicle from Agudama-Epie in Yenagoa and headed towards their purported destination.
However, tragedy struck at Okogbe, a community in Rivers State. Under the pretext of needing to urinate, the first defendant, Sunday Imoh, asked the driver to pull over. Once the vehicle stopped, the others launched a coordinated attack. They strangled Mr. Ajayi with a marine rope and stabbed him multiple times, leading to his death.
After the murder, the assailants disposed of the victim’s body and fled with the vehicle to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, where they sold it for ₦450,000.
Reacting to the verdict, the Bayelsa State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Biriyai Dambo, SAN, commended the court’s decision and reaffirmed the government’s unwavering commitment to justice.
“This conviction underscores the state government’s zero-tolerance stance on crime and its resolve to ensure that those who take innocent lives are made to face the full weight of the law,” Dambo stated.
