Gunmen Murder Judge During Court Session in Eastern Nigeria

Gunmen have left a court in shock and mourning after they shot dead the presiding President of the Ejemekwuru Customary Court in the Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria.

The gunmen arrived on motorbikes and shot sporadically as soon as they reached, forcing everyone to flee. The magistrate, Nnaemeka Ugboma, who was a law graduate from the 1991 set and hailed from Nnebukwu community in the Oguta Local Government Area, was dragged out of court and killed at close range.

Sources said that the motive of the killers was unknown and that the killing caused panic among the litigants and staff who had to flee for safety.

President of the Customary Court, Ihiagwa, Emperor Iwuala confirmed the killing and declared that the court would not sit until the issue was resolved. The Chairman of the Owerri Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ugochukwu Allinor, also spoke out on the incident, describing it as an “unfortunate situation”.

Imo Police spokesman Henry Okoye has yet to respond to the incident, and it is unclear at the time of writing who is responsible for the senseless killing.