A Nigerian man, Obina Christopher Ezeoke, convicted of a brutal double murder in North London, has successfully argued that his human rights were violated due to significant delays in his trial.
Ezeoke, 32, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 40 years for the 2016 murders of psychology student Bervil Kalikaka-Ekofo, 21, and his aunt, Annie Ekofo, 53. The victims were killed in their East Finchley apartment, with Bervil asleep at the time of the attack.
After enduring an unprecedented five trials over five years, Ezeoke was convicted in 2020. However, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that the delays in his case violated Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the right to a fair trial within a “reasonable time.”
The delays were caused by several disruptions: the first trial collapsed when the judge fell ill, two subsequent trials ended with hung juries, and the fourth trial was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the Strasbourg-based court recognized that many of these delays were beyond the control of the UK courts or government, it still found that the overall duration of the legal proceedings breached Ezeoke’s rights.
Despite this ruling, the ECHR did not offer any relief beyond the decision itself. Ezeoke’s request for immediate release was rejected, with the court asserting that his conviction and sentence were not unjust. The court also ruled that he was not entitled to compensation.
The verdict has drawn strong criticism from some UK officials. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick described it as “an extraordinary example of judicial activism” by the Strasbourg court, which, he argued, is becoming more problematic.
The details of the crime, which shocked the public, were revealed during the trial at the Old Bailey. Ezeoke entered the flat and shot Kalikaka-Ekofo in the back of the head with a vintage Western-style revolver while he slept. He then shot Annie Ekofo in the chest with a Smith & Wesson .44 revolver when she came out of her bedroom.
Prosecutors revealed that the murders were a revenge attack aimed at Ms. Ekofo’s son, Ryan Efey, 22, whom Ezeoke sought to target after being humiliated by rivals who circulated a video of him being assaulted on Snapchat. Ezeoke intended to kill anyone present in the flat.
In her sentencing, Mrs. Justice Cutts described the murders as “cold, callous, and brutal,” noting that Ezeoke had not only taken two innocent lives but also ruined the lives of many others. Although she considered imposing a whole-life sentence, she ultimately settled on a 40-year minimum before parole eligibility.
During the legal process, Ezeoke’s defense argued against holding a fifth trial, claiming that repeated delays had compromised their case and negatively impacted the evidence, potentially rendering the final outcome unsafe.
In his appeal to the European court, Ezeoke stated that the extended legal proceedings weakened his defense. The ECHR specifically pointed out two delays as “problematic”: a one-year gap between the third and fourth trials and a six-month delay in deciding on his appeal.
Despite the ruling in his favor regarding the human rights violation, Ezeoke remains in a high-security prison, serving his life sentence for the double homicide.
This case highlights the ongoing challenge of balancing a defendant’s right to a timely trial with the need to ensure justice for victims of serious crimes.
