The suspended Assistant Superintendent of Police, Drambi Vandi, who killed a Lagos-based lawyer, Mrs Omobolanle Raheem, on Monday, was sentenced to death by hanging by the Federal High Court Sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square on Lagos Island, Lagos.
According to Justice Ibironke Harrison, ASP Vandi was sentenced after being found guilty of the murder of the pregnant lawyer.
Justice Harrison held that the prosecution could prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, adding that the convict shot the deceased at close range.
It would be recalled that the court in April had dismissed a “no case submission” filed by Vandi.
Justice Harrison ordered the defendant to open his defence as a ‘prima facie’ has been made against him.
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.
Adetokunbo Odutola, the defence counsel in his arguments, 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 could not be linked with any of the firearms recovered from the police officers at the scene.
Oduntola argued that the pathologist who testified mentioned that the bullet penetrated from the left through the armpit, while the prosecution stated that the deceased was shot in the chest.
However, the prosecution led by the Attorney General of Lagos State, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), had countered the arguments and urged the defendant to defend himself, insisting that the prosecution had successfully made its case against him.
Details later…
