Nigerian jailed in Ireland after threatening to cut off students’ fingers

A jury at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, Ireland, has convicted a 22-year-old Nigerian man, Martin Ekhosuehi, of charges of aggravated burglary, assault causing harm, and making threats to kill arising from an incident at the students’ rented house on Highfield Avenue, College Road, Cork, on July 2, 2023.

Mr Ekhosuehi was sentenced to nine years in prison after he and an accomplice subjected two students to a frightening hour-long attack, threatening to cut off their fingers if they failed to hand over money and drugs, reports The Irish Times.

Ekhosuehi of Willow Gardens, Glanmire, Co Cork, had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

On Wednesday, Judge Sinead Behan imposed an 11-year prison term but suspended the final two years.

During the trial, investigating officer Det Gda Eoghain O’Callaghan described how the ordeal unfolded.

At 7pm on July 2nd, 2023, two young men at Highfield Avenue, College Road, Cork, had to run to a neighbour’s house to raise the alarm. They said two men had come through the front door by force.

“One of them was wearing an all-black tracksuit, black ski-mask, blue latex gloves, and had a large chef’s knife with black handle. The second man was also wearing a black tracksuit, black gloves, and had a flathead screwdriver. Both were demanding money,” O’Callaghan said.

The court heard that the two men searched through the house while asking where cocaine and cash were hidden.

During the raid, the students were held at knifepoint and struck on the head. One of the attackers issued a chilling warning, telling them, “I will start cutting off fingers, on my mother’s life, if I don’t start finding something soon”.

According to the detective, the attackers made off with €30 in cash and the victims’ phones before escaping through the back door.

They took €30 in cash and took their phones. Both fled by the backdoor. A glove was left behind and was forensically examined and found to have a fingerprint matching Martin Ekhosuehi. He was also nominated as a suspect by two gardaí who examined CCTV,” O’Callaghan said.

One of the victims had been speaking to his girlfriend in Drogheda when the break-in happened. Alarmed by unusual noises and the abrupt end of the call, she contacted gardaí.

Officers arrived shortly afterwards and knocked on the door, announcing themselves through the letterbox. The intruders warned the students they would be killed if they tried to respond or alert the police.

After the suspects eventually left, gardaí returned and found the two victims visibly distressed, with cuts on their faces. Both students told officers they had been punched and repeatedly threatened with death, leaving them fearing for their lives.

The court was told that Ekhosuehi had 14 previous convictions, including three for possession of drugs for personal use, one for drug dealing, one for money laundering, two for possessing knives, and another for producing an article during a dispute.

While delivering the sentence, Judge Behan described the crime as carefully planned.

The accused had planned and premeditated this crime and did so in a manner where they (the accused and his unidentified accomplice) dressed to conceal their identity.

“They came with a purpose. The hour must have felt like an eternity. I have not had any indication of remorse or empathy with the victims,” she said.

The judge stated that aggravated burglary warranted a starting sentence of 12 years. However, she reduced it to 11 years and suspended the final two years, taking into account Ekhosuehi’s youth and the support he receives from his family.

Culled from vanguard