A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt on Monday sentenced seven men, including twin brothers Precious Jack Opara and Answer Dick, to death by hanging for the 2013 kidnapping and murder of Reverend Edwin Isaiah Dokubo-Harry. The judge, Justice Boma Diepiri, convicted the men on multiple counts including conspiracy, murder, illegal possession of firearms, and criminality. The priest was lured to a forest in Abalama community, Asari Toru Local Government Area, on December 6, 2013, where he was kidnapped, his eyes and hands bound, and later killed. His body was dumped in a creek. The court found that the prosecution successfully proved its case against Precious Jack Opara, Answer Dick, Osaki Fubara, Prince Mikado Philip, Tienabeso George, Seleipri Fubara, and Alaboeriya Fubara. Two others, Emmanuel Israel and Nephew Philemon, were discharged and acquitted due to insufficient evidence. Justice Diepiri ordered that the convicts be hanged by the neck until dead, in line with the legal sentence for the crimes. He also directed that the firearm and other exhibits recovered during the investigation be handed over to the Nigeria Police. The courtroom erupted in distress as some of the condemned men and their relatives broke down in tears following the judgment.
The court handed down death sentences nine years after the priest was killed, yet the seven convicts remained on trial throughout that period. Justice was delayed long enough that the final verdict felt less like resolution and more like spectacle. The emotional outburst in court highlighted the human toll, but offered no clarity on why it took nearly a decade to reach this point.
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