Nigerian Convicted of Double Murder Wins Human Rights Case in the UK
A Nigerian national, Mr. Obina Christopher Ezeoke, who is currently serving a life sentence for the brutal murders of a mother and her sleeping nephew in North London, has won a human rights case at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Mr. Ezeoke, 32 was eventually convicted following an unprecedented five trials for the 2016 killings of psychology student Bervil Kalikaka-Ekofo, aged 21 and his 53-year-old aunt Mrs. Annie Ekofo at their residence in East Finchley. He received a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years.
However, the ECHR ruled that the five-year delay in bringing his case to conclusion constituted a breach of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the right to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time. According to The Telegraph report published on Monday, the protracted delay was attributed to a series of unfortunate events, including the illness of the presiding judge during the first trial, two mistrials resulting from hung juries, and the interruption of the fourth trial due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While acknowledging that these delays were largely beyond the control of the courts and government, the Strasbourg-based court nonetheless concluded that the duration of the proceedings amounted to a violation of Mr. Ezeoke’s rights. Nevertheless, the court rejected Mr. Ezeoke’s request for immediate release from his life sentence. It held that, despite the procedural delays, his eventual conviction and sentence were fair and did not constitute an additional breach of Article 6. Furthermore, the court ruled that he was not entitled to any financial compensation.
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