YENAGOA, Bayelsa State – July 11, 2025 – A Bayelsa State High Court in Yenagoa has sentenced four individuals to death by hanging for the brutal murder of Mr. Olanrewaju Ajayi, a taxi driver, during a hired trip to Onne, Rivers State.
The convicted persons are Sunday Imoh Essien, Opena Akpabio, Odogha Ebi, and Clifford Michael.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at Bayelsa State High Court 11 in Onopa, Yenagoa, Hon. Justice Patience Ama Zuofa Diri, in suit number YHC/21C/2021, found the defendants guilty of conspiracy, murder, and armed robbery.
Court findings revealed the horrific details of the crime: the convicted persons had chartered Mr. Ajayi, a commercial taxi driver plying the Yenagoa-Port Harcourt route, under the false pretense of attending a naval program in Onne, Rivers State. Mr. Ajayi picked them up at Agudama-Epie and proceeded towards Onne.
Tragically, the journey took a fatal turn at Okogbe in Rivers State. The first defendant, Mr. Sunday Imoh Essien, requested the driver to stop the vehicle under the guise of relieving himself. Once stopped, the other occupants of the vehicle launched a coordinated and brutal attack on the unsuspecting driver. They used a marine rope to hold him by the neck and stabbed him to death.
After committing the heinous act, the convicts disposed of Mr. Ajayi’s body and drove the stolen vehicle to Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State, where they sold it for Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (#450,000.00).
Commenting on the judgment, the Bayelsa State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Biriyai Dambo, SAN, reaffirmed the State’s unwavering commitment to upholding justice. He emphasized that the conviction underscores the Bayelsa State Government’s zero-tolerance policy toward crime and its dedication to ensuring that criminals face the full weight of the law.
