Justice Hakeem Oshodi of Lagos High Court, Ikeja, has convicted two pipeline vandals; Clement Ododomu, and Tiwei Monday for conspiracy and murder of seven officers of the Department of State Services, DSS, at Ishawo Creek of Ikorodu area of the state on September 14, 2015.
In his judgment, Justice Oshodi, who found the duo guilty as charged, deferred the sentencing of the convicts until November 14, after hearing of the allocutus of the convicts through their lawyer.
Specifically, Justice Oshodi found the first defendant, (Ododomu) guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, murders, possession of firearms and felony, while the second defendant (Monday), was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and felony.
It would be recalled that the Lagos State Government, LASG, had made the allegation that on September 14, 2015, when the Lagos State Command of the DSS received a distress report from one Mr Steve from the Sun Newspaper about the kidnap of his wife at their residence.
The distress report prompted the Command to immediately dispatch a nine-man team to carry out a surveillance operation to ascertain the location of the kidnappers, who were negotiating for a ransom.
In the evening, however, one of the team members, Mr Martins Ajayi, sent a distress text message to the Station, declaring that they had been ambushed by vandals and their weapons had been seized.
Subsequently, the two suspects were apprehended and were arraigned on a 10-count charge bordering on murder and possession of firearms contrary to Section 223 and 298 (3) of the Criminal Law, Cap. C. A Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
But they pleaded not guilty to all the counts, and the prosecution began the trial.
In his judgment, Justice Oshodi held that the claim of the defence that the defendants were in Lagos for the funeral service of their grandmother was a ruse because they failed to provide essential witnesses to corroborate their claims.
The judge further held that the prosecutor had not been able to prove the second defendant guilty of murder because the evidence before the court showed that it was one Agbala and the first defendant who killed the operatives.
Justice Oshodi equally declared that the prosecutor was able to prove the culpability of the two defendants for felony, having participated in the ambush of the operatives.
Justice Oshodi said, “Upon the proper evaluation of the evidence before the court, the convicts are discharged and acquitted on counts 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 because the prosecutor was unable to prove the allegations against them”.
The judge noted that the prosecutor was able to prove that the first defendant, Ododomu, is guilty of counts 1, 5, 7, 9 and 10 which borders on conspiracy to commit murder, murders, possession of firearms and felony, while the second defendant, Monday, is found guilty of count 1 and 10 which borders on conspiracy to commit murder and felony.
