•Husband To Give Account Of Incident In Thursday
The Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) will Thursday take the evidence of Mr Gbenga Raheem, the husband of Lagos-based lawyer, Mrs. Omobolanle Raheem who was allegedly killed on Christmas Day by an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr. Drambi Vandi.
Expected to enter the witness box aside Mr Raheem is also the deceased sister as third and fourth prosecution witnesses respectively.
At the resume of the proceedings on Wednesday, testimonies of the first two witnesses, Mr. Matthew Ameh and Mr. Fiyegha Ebimine who were both Police Inspectors were concluded.
The Lagos State Government had on January 16 began Vandi’s prosecution who was arraigned on a one-count charge of murder.
The charge marked LD/20598c/22, alleged that Vandi killed Raheem contrary to Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
“ASP Vandi on the 25th of December 2022 at Ajah roundabout along Lekki-Epe Expressway Lagos in the Lagos Judicial Division unlawfully killed one Omobolanle Raheem (F) by shooting her in the chest,” it read. Vandi however pleaded not guilty.
During the proceedings, Vandi’s lawyer, Adetokunbo Odutola completed his cross-examination of Inspector Ameh, which he began on January 16.
Ameh repeated his testimony that on the day and at the scene of the killing, he heard “a noise” indicating that Mrs. Raheem had been shot.
Responding to Odutola’s query, the witness explained that the noise he referenced in his statement could not have been anything else but a gunshot sound.
“When you hear the sound of a banger, it is different from a gunshot sound. A tyre bust sound is different from a gunshot sound,” Ameh added.
Upon entering the witness stand, Ebimine was led in evidence by Onigbanjo.
He confirmed Ameh’s testimony that they were in a three-man team led by Vandi on the day of the shooting.
He further corroborated Ameh’s account of the shooting, saying he also heard the “noise” shortly after the deceased and her husband slowly drove past him and Ameh in a Toyota Venza
“One woman was in the passenger seat, a man was driving. I flagged the vehicle down. It didn’t stop. They passed me. I wondered why. He was not speeding. Ameh also flagged him down but he didn’t stop,” Ebimine said.
He said shortly after, he heard “a gunshot from the back. I asked Ameh, ‘What is going on?'”
The witness told the court that afterwards a crowd gathered and swooped on Vandi, brought him out of a Korope (commercial minibus) where he hid, and put him in the deceased’s car.
“I was trying to find out what was going on. I called Vandi on the phone to find out. I said ‘Oga, what happened?’ He said ‘wait.’,” Ebimine said.
He testified that Vandi’s response was the same when he called him aga6some minutes later.
Responding to questions from Onigbanjo, the witness said the Venza posed no threat to him or the public when it drove past. He added that there was no threat to m their life when the car drove past.
“As the Venza approached, was there any threat to the general public?, Onigbanjo asked”
Ebimine noted that they were peaceful.
The witness, who earlier stated that he was armed, denied firing his weapon.
Justice Ibironke Harrison thereafter adjourned till Thursday for continuation of trial.
