A State High Court sitting in Ogidi, Anambra State, has sentenced Chibuike Joseph to life imprisonment for causing grievous harm after finding that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he murdered a man during a violent altercation in 2017.
The case arose from a fight on June 7, 2017, along Limca Road in Nkpor, where Joseph allegedly stabbed the victim with a broken bottle during an argument over ₦500.
According to the prosecution, led by Millicent Ikeabunze, the victim was initially taken to Model Hospital, Nkpor, before being referred to New Mayor Hospital and Fertility Centre, Ogidi, where he died on June 14, 2017.
The deceased’s brother told the court that the victim identified Joseph as his attacker both during a telephone conversation and while receiving treatment at the hospital.
The Investigating Police Officer also tendered Joseph’s confessional statement, in which he admitted threatening the deceased over an earlier disagreement before stabbing him during the fight. Joseph, however, relied on the defence of provocation and denied responsibility for the victim’s death.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Olisaemeka Okuma held that the prosecution failed to establish a direct link between the stab wounds and the victim’s death, citing insufficient medical evidence.
“The chain of causation was broken, and the court cannot convict for murder without clear proof,” the judge held.
However, Justice Okuma found Joseph guilty of causing grievous harm under Section 288(a) of the Criminal Code, relying largely on his voluntary confessional statement, and sentenced him to life imprisonment, saying the punishment reflected the gravity of the offence and the need to uphold justice.