HARUNA M. TSAMMANI, JCA (Delivering the Leading Judgment): The Appellants in this Consolidated Appeal Nos: CA/PH/171A/2004, CA/PH/171B/2004, CA/PH/171C/2004, CA/PH/171D/2004, CA/PH/171E/2004, CA/PH/171F/2004, were jointly charged before the High Court of Imo State Owerri Judicial Division with the murder of one Anthony Ikechukwu Okoronkwo, aged eleven (11) years, which is an offence punishable under section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Cap. 30 Laws of Eastern Nigeria, 1963 applicable to Imo State of Nigeria.
The brief facts of the case as presented by the prosecution before the trial court is that, on the 19/9/1996, the deceased victim of the crime one Master Anthony Okoronkwo, was hawking groundnuts around Otokoto Hotel when one Innocent Ekeanyanwu lured him into the hotel on the pretence that he was buying the groundnuts. That it was in that process that the deceased was killed by Innocent Ekeanyanwu with the assistance of Alban Ajaegbu and Samson Nnamito, on the instruction and requ…