[vintage] Nigerian professor hanged in Liberia for killing a bishop and his assistant :marseyropeyourself: Nov 1971, first hanging there in 27 years [vids of the preparations and hanging + from the arrest]

EFFORTPOST [vintage] Nigerian professor hanged in Liberia for killing a bishop and his assistant :marseyropeyourself:

Nov 1971, first hanging there in 27 years [vids of the preparations and hanging + from the arrest]

Thumbnail: convict's last communion before the execution.

Dr. Justin Obi was a Nigerian professor of chemistry at Cuttington College and Divinity School, currently Cuttington University. He was convicted for two murders on 19th of November 1969. Someone stormed the offices of Episcopal Bishop Dillard Browne (58 yo black American) and shot down both him and his assistant or secretary, Claude Nadar (Syrian national).

Video from the arrest. There's sound, but it's not adding much to the video.

His age is given as either 32 or 65 yo, I don't know if this was just a mistake or a failed OCR. He earned his doctorate degree in physical chemistry in 1965 at Wisconsin University. He tried to go back to the US, but couldn't find employment.

After becoming a suspect, Justin Obi reportedly tried to flee to neighboring Guinea, but was apprehended in Gbarnga (around 10 km from the university and 50 km from the border). Cuttington students saw him and called the police. He was convicted in March 1971 in Monrovia, the capital.

Public execution took place on 19th of November 1971 (Friday). Earlier, Justin Obi received communion from a Roman Catholic priest. Black and white, silent footage:

Nigerian biology professor Dr. Justin Obi went to the gallows on Friday (19 November) in Liberia's first public hanging for 27 years. Thousands--including women and children--thronged a Monrovia prison compound to see his execution. He was convicted for killing the Episcopal Bishop of Liberia and a church official two years ago to the day.

Dr. Obi, 65, who remained calm and composed throughout, told the crowd and a radio audience: "I have no malice nor hate for anyone. I go to my creator with joy". During his trial, Dr. Obi admitted shooting the bishop--American negro Dillard Brown--but said he had only intended to scare him with his gun.

On Friday in Monrovia, Nigerian biology professor Justin Obi went to the gallows in Liberia's first public hanging for 27 years.

Dr. Obi, 65, received holy communion from a Roman Catholic priest. He'd been convicted for killing the Episcopal Bishop of Liberia and a church official two years ago to the day. At his trial Dr. Obi admitted shooting the Bishop -- American negro Dillard Brown -- but, added he'd only intended to scare him with a gun. Once he started shooting, he said, he couldn't stop.

Thousands--including weeping women and children--looked on from the prison compound. Dr. Obi, clutching a bible, remained composed throughout. He told the crowd and a large radio audience that he had no malice nor hate for anyone. "I go to my Creator with joy" he said. He continued quoting the bible, saying "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."

In court, Dr. Obi claimed he had learned that certain non-African organisations--including the American Peace Corps and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) -- were trying to interfere in Liberian politics. After waving goodbye to the crowd, Dr. Obi entered the gallows house in silence and mounted the platform. His wife and child were in the United States.

It was the first execution in Liberia in 27 years. Then they became more frequent:

Furthermore, President Tolbert had signed several death warrants since November 19, 1971 when he signed the first one, sending a Nigerian science professor, Justin Obi, to the gallows. Subsequently, eight other convicted murderers had been hanged, among whom his cousin William Tolbert who had killed his wife. The latest two executed murderers were Borbor Brown and Kekulah Vogbor, in 1978, who died from the capital punishment after much public attention.

SOURCES :marseysalutepride:

BritishPathe (long news quote).

https://www.nytimes.com/1971/11/20/archives/liberia-hangs-nigerian.html

https://allafrica.com/stories/201511100865.html

https://liberiapastandpresent.org/MarylandRitualMurders10.htm

https://www.google.pl/books/edition/AF_Press_Clips/199bxxkiqcQC

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Faen

7mo ago #1839832

Interesting story, tried to add some colors to the pic/vids provided :marseyjam:

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Vivid Human Rights Abuse Activist Faen 7mo ago #1839843

Thanks! Comment pinned :marseyshy:

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Vivid 7mo ago #1839853

You're welcome & thanks! :marseyhearts:

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GhostAnon 7mo ago #1839599

Always lived under the impression that sentencing hanging was always broken neck instant thing but after seeing him flail a little now understand now always the case. Interesting read thank yooou :marseyspirit:

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Princess_Crocodile ╚> :happygaysounds:

<╗ GhostAnon 7mo ago #1840756

It's supposed to break the neck. There are calculations that consider the rope length vs the weight of the person. Too short and they choke to death, too long and their head can pop off.

https://science.thewire.in/society/history/nirbhaya-convicts-hanging-tihar-jail-cervical-fracture-long-drop-method

Based on his studies of historical texts, including Homer's Odyssey, reputed to contain the earliest description of a death by hanging, Haughton identified three mechanisms by which a hanging could kill (quoted verbatim):
By apoplexy, caused by pressure on the jugular veins
By asphyxia, caused by stoppage of the windpipe
By shock of the medulla oblongata, caused by fracture of the vertebral column
He then wrote, “In the first two cases death is preceded by convulsions, lasting from five to forty-five minutes, which are caused by the cessation of the supply of arterial blood to the muscles. In the third case death is instantaneous and painless, and is unaccompanied by any convulsive movement whatever.”
His modification of the short-drop method gave rise to the standard-drop, which took advantage of the third option: “shock of the medulla oblongata”. That is, instead of strangulating as the noose tightened around the neck, the person would drop from a greater height and the rope's going taut would simply break the neck.
The ‘standard' stands for the fact that the rope's length is fixed between 4 and 6 feet. When he was a member of Britain's Capital Sentences Committee in 1886-1888, he helped prepare a report that recommended that the actual length used during a hanging should achieve a drop energy of 1,708 joules (a figure that bears in mind the importance of not letting the body be decapitated at the same time). A British executioner named William Marwood improved upon these calculations to devise the long-drop method, in which calculations of the rope's length take into consideration the person's weight as well, and vary anywhere between 5'1″ and 8'6″ for persons weighing between 51 kg and 89 kg (according to a 1913 table).

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GhostAnon Princess_Crocodile 7mo ago #1841289

Thank you! Thought it all had to be calculated right I just presumed they would have to calculate it all correctly for the quickest method if it's done in the eyes of the law yk? Thank you for the info tho!

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farticus Princess_Crocodile 7mo ago #1845717

>Based on his studies of historical texts

>In the first two cases death is preceded by convulsions, lasting from five to forty-five minutes

Based on modern videos of people hanging themselves live on social media those convulsions might last a few minutes but not exactly 45 lol

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Jorgen_von_Strangle «Follow Da Rules and Get Permabanned for ugly pics!» farticus 7mo ago #1847241

It depends on the weight of the person and the positioning of the rope. He was also probably considering any twitch or movement as a convulsion for the sake of far end bounds.

It's notable that there is no mention made of consciousness — apoplexy can induce unconsciousness very quickly. See sleeper holds in MMA for an example. So, while a person may still be alive in that case it's not clear how aware they are or for how long.

Asphyxiation is much more gruesome.

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Vivid Human Rights Abuse Activist GhostAnon 7mo ago #1839614

Here you can say two men hanged at the same time, one is twitching around and one isn't: https://watchpeopledie.tv/h/execution/post/48919/kuwait-2013-man-accused-of-raping

Here is one woman and two men hanged, kinda skill issue, but you can see how she is twisting due to the noose knot moving to the front: https://watchpeopledie.tv/h/execution/post/28065/woman-and-two-men-hanged-iran

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GhostAnon Vivid 7mo ago #1841308

Thank you vivid always appreciated :girlsalute:

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tufuiegoeris Vivid 7mo ago #1839625

skill issue lol

GhostAnon Vivid 7mo ago #1841373

I guess with the first one the second guy being a body builder didn't help his case🥲 more muscle making it harder to make an instant snap? Thought the guy in a white coat was gonna come up and give him an extra yank to finish him off 😂

Seems like the second was deffo a skill issue possibly on purpose from the guy positioning it just before rather than back seems to go more forward :marseydisagreesuperspeed:

bigislander72 Vivid 7mo ago #1843994

From the looks of it, in the Kuwait video...the guy who didn't move was bigger, but they both are hanging about the same height up.

Which means they messed up on the lighter guy...table of drops has a crazy difference in drop distance for light vs heavy. Something like five feet for a big heavy guy, but more like ten for a flyweight.

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ObserveIndividualsPerish SCIENCE: We do must, because we can! GhostAnon 7mo ago #1839976

It depends on how well the knot is tied around the neck and how steep the drop is. If you watch Saddam's execution, it was poorly done by design to make him suffer, he even bled which shouldn't happen in a proper hanging.

GhostAnon ObserveIndividualsPerish 7mo ago #1841299

I thought that all went in it was more so I thought I'd done by law theyd try make sure it was quick. But I guess not always the case especially with saddams! Might try and find it thank you dude :marseyspirit:

ObserveIndividualsPerish SCIENCE: We do must, because we can! GhostAnon 7mo ago #1841337

You're welcome

Loopv GhostAnon 7mo ago #1843584

The executioners were amateurs. Pros take the condemned's weight and height into consideration to ensure the drop snaps the hyroid bone (okay, snap the neck, not just the hyroid as I see from a better informed post) guaranteeing instant death.

That or they couldn't give a rat's arse about him suffering. Which frankly, I believe anyone that deserves the death penalty should suffer. Psychologically and physically.

Gotta hand it to the good Dr Obi. He kept his hands clasped together as in prayer. That was class!