For Drambi Vandi, the trigger happy police officer who shot and killed a Lagos lawyer, Bolanle Raheem on Christmas day 2022, the long hand of justice ran its full circle early Monday, (09 October) as Justice Ibironke Harrison, sitting in Lagos Division of the Lagos State High Court, pronounced a death sentence on him. He is to die by hanging.

Vandi, since suspended from duty in wake of the reckless shooting and killing of the young mother if two, by the Police authorities, has been facing a one-count charge of murder at the Lagos State High Court since January 2023.

The judge, Ibironke Harrison on Monday found the disgraced police officer guilty of murder and thus sentenced him accordingly.
“The court found the defendant guilty on one count of murder. You will be hanged by the neck till you are dead,” Harrison said.
On 25 December 2022, Mrs Raheem was said to be coming from the Church with other members of her family when they encountered the police check-point under the Ajah roundabout, in Lekki axis of the Lagos State.

Vandi allegedly fired a blinded shot into the car conveying the deceased which hit her and resulted in the death of Mrs Raheem, who was said to be carrying a five months pregnancy at the time.
The police officer was attached to the Ajiwe police division in the Ajah area of the state.
The news shocked the whole nation and instantly, both the police authorities and the Lagos State government swung into action. While the Lagos State Police Command immediately suspended him from its service, the State swiftly filed a murder charge against him at the State High Court.

The Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) had presented a one-count charge of murder of the young lady against the defendant and subsequently arraigned him.
The court opened the trial in the case in January, with the deceased’s husband, sister, police armourer, pathologist and seven others testifying against the defendant.
The prosecution also tendered 27 exhibits to supports its case.
The defendant, Vandi did not called any witness. He was the only witness who testified in his own defence.
In his testimony before the court, Vandi told the judge that the bullet presented in court which was said to have killed Mrs Raheem did not come from the rifle he carried on the day of the incident.

He also claimed that he had never seen the bullet until it was tendered in court.

An Assistant Commissioner of Police is embroiled in a messy scandal and he is doing everything he could to dragged the Inspector general and Rivers State’s Commissioner of Police into the mud with him.
The ACP and two others were alleged by a petitioner, a Delta State-based rights advocate, Israel Joe, to had forcefully extorted eighty million naira from one Atub Davison in Port Harcourt on 14 September.

The ACP was alleged to have claimed he gave thirty million naira to the IG, Olukayode Egbetokun and another sixteen million to the CP, Polycarp Abonyi, a claim which has now forced the Inspector General to launched a massive investigations to unravel the veracity of the claims of the ACP.
The command said it has begun the probe of the ACP followed the petition by the Delta State-based rights advocate, Joe, over the extortion of Davison.
This move was made known by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a note he made available on Monday (02 October).
Adejobi, an ACP, said the Monitoring Unit of the IGP was handling the probe which followed a petition by a Delta State-based rights advocate, Israel Joe, over the extortion of Davison by an Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Delta State Criminal Investigation Department and two other officers.

The ACP and his team were accused of having claimed to have given thirty million to Egbetokun and sixteen million to Abonyi.
Adejobi said: “Following allegations of unprofessionalism, kidnapping, name-dropping, extortion, and illicit enrichment against some officers of the Rivers State Police Command, and the swift intervention of the acting Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, the officers fingered in a petition by one Israel Joe on behalf of one Mr Atubi Davison are being interrogated by the IGP Monitoring Unit as part of ongoing investigation to unravel the allegations and ascertain its veracity for further necessary action.

“As previously stated, the Nigeria Police Force views these allegations with the utmost seriousness and is fully committed to conducting a comprehensive and transparent investigation. To ensure fairness and impartiality, the complainant who made these allegations will be contacted to come forward and cooperate by providing more relevant information regarding the matter.
“The Inspector-General of Police, therefore, cautions the public about fraudulent individuals who always attempt to exploit the reputation of the Inspector General of Police and other senior officers for personal gain.

“He urges members of the public to exercise caution and verify the authenticity of anyone claiming to represent Senior Police Officers in any dubious activities while reporting such to the NPF and the Force Public Relations Officer or the Complaint Response Unit desk in any state of the Federation.”
In his petition calling for the probe of the ACP and his two colleagues, fingered in the extortion, Joe said the police on September 14, 2023 stormed Davison’s residence at Peace Avenue Road, Egbelu in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, discovering local and foreign currencies totalling N100 million meant for payment for men securing pipeline facilities in the Niger Delta.

The activist said the police took away the money, two cars and gold necklace, adding that they also arrested four persons seen in the house, including a female.
Joe added: “I met with the Assistant Commissioner, State CIID, and asked him what are you investigating the man for, the ACP told me that is an alleged kidnap case that he doesn’t know if somebody will come and report that his money is missing or is a ransom money, that all they need to do is to see how they can manage the situation that the money is about N100 million.
“A major part of the money is in dollars. I told the ACP they should charge him (Davison) to court if the man committed any offence. When they saw that calls were coming from different angles, they called us – called the father that they were going to release the two cars to him and any amount they release to him (Davison), he should manage it, that they are going to send N30 million to the IG, N16 million to the state Commissioner of Police.

“At the end of the day, they (the policemen) released the two cars, they released the Chevrolet and Toyota Camry car to him, released only N12 million to him and took away a whopping N80 million along with his gold chain valued about N4 million, the two plasma Television, shoes and clothes they carried from his house.
“The IPO even told us to leave Port Harcourt that criminals may come for us, that we should leave Rivers State. I know one CP called him (AC) and he confirmed that they took away almost N100 million from the man’s house. They released only 12 million naira for the man.

“The 12 million was in dollars. The other people who were arrested with the man bailed themselves, some with one million naira, two million naira, just like that.
“I am calling for a proper investigation. The money should be refunded and all officers involved should be brought to book. If the surveillance workers are not paid, people will go and break the pipeline and the man has nothing to do and it will tell on the economy of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

An alleged “Illness” of the Magistrate and one of the accused has stalled the planned arraignment of two staff members of the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority (OGFZA) over allegations bordering on forgery and falsification of official documents on Tuesday, (08 August, 2023).

The planned arrangement suffered a setback due to the absence of Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna in court and an alleged illness of one of the accused.
The arrangement of the two staff members of the Authority has been shifted twice, from March 28 and May 30, 2023, due to the absence of the Magistrate.

On Tuesday, August 8, being the new date for the arraignment of the OGFZA officials, Ruth Idowu, who appeared for the nominal complainant, Olufunmilayo Omosule, and counsel to the defendants, were in court, but Magistrate Iyanna of the Magistrate Court sitting in Zone 6, Abuja was said to be indisposed.

It would be recalled that the two OGFZA officials Wasiu Sule, the Head of Legal Services and Secretary to OGFZA’s Board, and Alenju Ngofa, who is the Human Resource Head of the organization, are the first and second defendants, are accused of forgery and falsification of documents.

OGFZA and Omosule had been locked in legal battle For the past twelve years, over the legality or otherwise of the plaintiff’s suspension from duties, without pay, following his petition against some management staff of the agency on alleged corruption.

Omosule had alleged that the defendants wilfully and maliciously distorted his records “to appear as though he does not possess any requisite qualification to be employed at OGFZA or any qualification at all to be considered for promotion.”

The agency had via a letter dated April 18, 2011, suspended Omosule as the manager of its Abuja office, on the grounds that he refused to comply with its letter dated December 3, 2010, which had directed him to present the originals of his credentials for verification.

Omosule, however, refuted the claim of the authority, stating that he made available to the organisation, Certified True Copies (CTCs) of his educational certificates /credentials, including GCE ‘O Level certificates and degree certificates as instructed.

He had claimed that the originals of his credentials were misplaced in untraceable circumstances as at 2010 when the request to submit them was made.
The claimant also averred that the CTCs of his certificates submitted to the agency were certified by the issuing institutions, which included West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the University of Ado-Ekiti, then Ondo State University, Ado-Ekiti respectively.

The claimant had, therefore obtained a declaration that he is still a staff of the organisation and rightfully entitled to all the rights, privileges and benefits due to him by reason of his employment.
The matter was further adjourned to 13th September for mention and arraignment.