By Ayo Yusuf
The Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square annex, Igbosere, Lagos Island, has convicted and sentenced to death by hanging, a suspended Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Drambi Vandi for the murder of a pregnant Lagos-based lawyer Mrs. Omobolanle Raheem.
Justicè Ibironke Harrison
held that the prosecution, which is the Lagos State Government, has proven its case against the convict beyond all reasonable doubt.
“The court finds the defendant guilty on one count of murder. You will be hanged by the neck till you are dead,” the judge held.
The Lagos State government had arraigned ASP Vandi before the court for allegedly shooting the 41-year-old pregnant lawyer to death at the Ajah under-bridge checkpoint on December 25, 2022.
The incident sparked outrage, especially on social media and the police officer was suspended pending investigations.
During the trial, the prosecution called eleven witnesses including 8 police officers and tendered 27 exhibits in evidence, while the convict solely testified in his defence.
The defendant however pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge of murder contrary to Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
Delivering judgment at Tafa Balewa Square in Lagos on Monday, the judge found the killer cop guilty of murder.
She held that the prosecution established sufficient oral and documentary evidence linking the defendant to the crime.
In April, the court dismissed a “no case submission” filed by Vandi as Justice Harrison ordered the defendant to open his defence as a ‘prima facie case” has been made against him.
The court also held that the prosecution led by the Attorney-General of Lagos, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Moyosore Onigbanjo, had established sufficient oral and documentary evidence linking the defendant to the crime, which required explanations from him.
The court said that the evidence of the defendant, being the only other eye witness who was yet to testify before it about the incident, will shed light on what happened that day.
“The prosecution has established a prima facie case requiring some explanation by the defendant. The court isn’t looking at the credibility of the prosecution witnesses at this stage.
“The court will not delve into the substantive case right now. The only real issue now is whether a prima facie case has been made by the prosecution, and not whether it has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.”
In his application on the no case submission, Vandi had asked the court to dismiss the suit and discharge him claiming that he had no case to answer.
In his arguments, his defence counsel, Adetokunbo Odutola told the court to note among other things that none of the eyewitnesses saw the defendant shoot and that the ballistic report of the gun allegedly fired expressly stated that the bullet cannot be linked with any of the firearms recovered from the police officers at the scene.
Based on what he described as the “inconsistency and contradictions of the Prosecution Witnesses “from top to bottom”, Mr. Odutola urged the court to quash the charge against the Defendant and discharge him accordingly as the Prosecution had failed in its attempt to make a prima-facie case against him.
The Attorney General of Lagos State had however countered the arguments and urged the defendant to defend himself insisting that the prosecution has successfully made its case against him.
