The Anambra State High Court, Awka Judicial Division, has sentenced a man, Silas Uwa, to life imprisonment for killing his uncle during a dispute over a parcel of family land in Ebenebe, Awka North Local Government Area of the state.
Justice Okechukwu Nwabunike handed down the sentence on Monday after finding Uwa guilty of manslaughter in a case marked A/63C/2018.
The court heard that Uwa and the deceased had been embroiled in a dispute over ownership of a parcel of land in the community.
The prosecution told the court that the matter had been decided by the kindred in favour of the deceased, but Uwa and his siblings rejected the decision.
According to the prosecution, instead of seeking legal redress, Uwa confronted his uncle on his farm where he was working and engaged him in a fight.
It was alleged that during the confrontation, Uwa used a machete to inflict fatal injuries on his uncle, leading to his death.
The prosecution, led by the Chief State Counsel, Ifeanyi Oguejiofor, with the assistance of Principal State Counsel, Ijeoma Ugboaja, called four witnesses, including the investigating police officer, to establish its case.
In his defence, Uwa pleaded self-defence and argued that the prosecution had failed to prove the charge of murder beyond reasonable doubt, particularly because there was no eyewitness to the killing.
However, Justice Nwabunike held that a murder case could be established through direct evidence, a confessional statement or credible circumstantial evidence.
The judge ruled that although there was no eyewitness account, the circumstantial evidence presented by the prosecution was sufficient to establish that Uwa killed the deceased.
He also rejected the self-defence plea but convicted the defendant of the lesser offence of manslaughter and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Commenting on the judgment, the Secretary of the Law Officers Association of Nigeria, Anambra State chapter, Nonso Emeka, said the case reinforced the directive of the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Tobechukwu Nweke, SAN, that parties involved in land disputes should pursue civil remedies rather than resort to self-help or violence.
Emeka urged disputants to seek legal redress, including actions for declaration of title to disputed property, instead of turning civil disagreements into criminal matters.