The Nation Newspaper

Tag: exonerates

  • Navy exonerates personnel from conductor’s death

    The Nigerian Navy (NN) yesterday denied claims that its rating caused the death of a tanker conductor in the Kirikiri area of Lagos State.

    It also denied the allegation that the rating pulled the conductor identified as Abbas Kasali from a moving tanker, following the deceased’s refusal to part with a bribe.

    Commanding Officer NN Ship Wey, Commodore Celestine Udiase, denied all the allegations while briefing reporters on the incident that occured on Thursday.

    He explained that there was an issue between naval personnel deployed to control traffic flow on the busy road and tanker drivers and hoodlums who wanted to take advantage of the situation.

    Udiase stated that the conductor jumped from the tanker, apparently afraid the vehicle woud fall, and was crushed by his fleeing driver, Abrahim Salami, who flouted traffic instructions.

    “It was about 7am when I was alerted. I rushed to the scene.

    “They were trying to lynch my men. I saw the leadership of the tanker drivers trying to pacify them, but they were demanding that we bring out the ratings for them to kill.

    “What truly happened was that there is an arrangement already on ground that they should always leave one lane free and that they should not park on the bridge.

    “So, our personnel saw them parking on the bridge and on sighting a rating approaching them, the driver made to run away, and the conductor jumped down, thinking the tanker would fall.

    “He was crushed by his own driver to death,” he said.

    Continuing, Odiase said naval ratings were deployed to control traffic on that road in order to ease the suffering of road users, including its personnel who ply the road on daily basis.

    He said: “You are aware of the stress motorists undergo along the Oshodi/Apapa Expressway and this axis is the access way to one of the busiest seaports in Nigeria.

    “These tanker drivers park everywhere and more worrisome is that they park on the bridge. You will agree with me that these roads are old and were not built to carry heavy things.

    “It was because of this that the navy decided to deploy unarmed personnel to that area.”

    He denied categorically that his men usually demand bribes on the road from the heavy duty vehicle drivers, noting that they are provided logistics to regulate traffic flow.

    “The issue of bribe does not come in and if any of the men has any inclination to do so, they wouldn’t have done it under the watch of a responsible lieutenant commander.

    “I appeal to tanker drivers to see our ratings as friends. We are only there to ensure a free flow of traffic and safety of motorists,” said Odiase.

  • N12m damages: Court exonerates Odubu’s wife

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City has exonerated the wife of Edo State Deputy Governor, Endurance Odubu, of liability in the assault on an Army officer, Capt Olorunduyilemi Stephen.

    Justice George Shoremi yesterday said there was no basis for the lower court to award damages against Mrs. Odubu for the action of her security detail.

    Justice Adamu Hobon of the Federal High Court in July last year ordered Mrs. Odubu and her security detail to pay Stephen N10million.

    Justice Hobon, who awarded another N2million, as special damages for medical bills and car damage, said the beating was “unlawful, unconstitutional and barbaric”.

    Mrs. Odubu was also ordered to apologise to the officer in three electronic media and two national newspapers.

    The court held that the wife of a deputy governor was a private person and not entitled to heavy security guard and use of siren.

    But the appellate court held that there was no liability on Mrs Odubu’s part and that she had nothing to do with the beating.

    The court held that she was not a public officer and that the police and State Security Service (SSS) should be held liable.

    Mrs. Odubu’s counsel Wole Iyamu said the judgment of the Court of Appeal showed that the attempt to drag Mrs. Odubu into the matter was political, motivated by ill-will and an attempt to embarrass and create disaffection.

    Stephen’s counsel Clement Dike said he would study the judgment before commenting.

    The victim was allegedly beaten up on Sapele road, in Benin City on January 11 2010 when his car almost ran into the six-car convoy of the deputy governor’s wife.

    The security operatives were said to have forcibly dragged him out and beat him up before taking him away.

     

  • Father exonerates son over murder of banker wife

    Mudashiru Arowolo,the father of murder suspect Akolade,yesterday tried to exonerate his son from the killing of his banker wife, Titilayo Omozoje.

    Omozoje was killed on June 24, last year at their Isolo, Lagos home.

    Arowolo told a Lagos High Court, in Ikeja presided by Justice Lateefa Okunnu that his son was not a violent person.

    He was giving his evidence-in-chief, as a defence witness. Arowolo said he knew that the couple quarelled, but Akolade was never violent.

    He also told the court that his late daughter in-law, had only three wounds on her body when he saw her body at their Isolo, Lagos home.

    But Arowolo’s testimony contradicted the medical report of renowned Pathologist and Medical Director of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital(LASUTH), Professor John Obafunwa, who testified that the deceased had 76 stab wounds on her body.

    The father of the defendant who was being cross examined by the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution, Mrs. Olabisi Ogungbesan said he was shocked to read in the newspapers that the deceased had 76 stab wounds on her body.

    He reiterated that what he said in a statement made to the police was that he did not know why his son killed his daughter-in-law.

    Arowolo, who was under re-examination by the defence counsel, Olanrewaju Ajanaku, said that his statement was a mere response to the question of the IPO who had asked how the defendant could have killed his wife.

    “My son complained that the marriage was characterised by undue interference from our in-laws, both the father-in-law, Mr. George Oyakhire and the stepmother-In-law, Adetoun Oyakhire.”

    “Immediately after the marriage, the couple started buying baby items because Omozoje was expecting before they got married. My son told us that Omozoje demanded N500, 000 and he said he could only afford N100,000. That was quarrel number one.

    “Another instance was after she had been delivered of their baby in the hospital.

    “Kolade said the step-motherIn-law had insisted she would keep the placenta. Then another quarrel ensued. But the Medical Director of the hospital gave it to Akolade, being the baby’s father”.

    Arowolo also claimed that he once heard the deceased threatening to kill his son and herself.

    He said Omozoje had left the husband’s house since January last year so he was surprised to see the dead body of his daughter-ln-law on June 25 in Akolade’s flat, after they had forced the door open.

    Arowolo had testified that Akolade had wound on his palm.

    He said that this was a confirmation that he was trying to wrest a knife from his wife.

    He said he discovered about 20 wounds on his son’s body.

    His testimony was a negation of the medical report of the examination carried out on the body of his son which was presented before the court by Prof. Obafunwa.

    Prof. Obafunwa also told the court that he found three old wounds on the body of Akolade, which were inflicted on him long before he allegedly killed his wife.

    He had told the court that Akolade was limping when he examined him but he admitted that he was injured when he jumped down from their first floor flat on the day of the incident.

    Justice Lateefah Okunnu adjourned the matter to December 4..

  • Oyerinde’s murder: DPP exonerates Ugolor, others

    The Edo State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) has said the murderers of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, the former Private Secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, may be walking about free.

    In its advice to the Oredo Magistrate’s Court handling the case, the DPP said the police had no prima facie case against an environmentalist, Dr. David Ugolor, and others who were arrested in relation with the crime.

    Chief Magistrate Francis Idiake, on August 31, ordered that the case file be sent to the DPP for advice.

    The DPP, in a letter to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) on October 29 and signed by Mr. Ade Irehovbude, said two of the suspects, Danjuma Musa and Muritala Usman, had been in police custody since April 24 for unlawful possession of cartridges.

    He said the Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) interrogated the suspects, who confessed to killing Oyerinde on May 4.

    The DPP said it was “evidently incongruous” for people who had been in custody since April 24 to have killed Oyerinde on May 4.

    He said the cut-to-size gun and a cartridge the suspects confessed was used to kill Oyerinde were recovered on April 24 by the Esigie Police Division.

    The letter reads: “This is alleged to be a weapon used during the robbery on May 4 and it is another incongruity. Could a weapon recovered and in possession of the police be confirmed by suspects to have been used for the commission of the offence?”

    The DPP said a prima facie case of conspiracy to commit robbery and murder was made against Garba Maismari, Auta Ali, Moses Okoro and Usman Adamu, who confessed to the crime.

    He said a prima facie case of receiving stolen goods was made against Hassan Babete and Idris Adulhamid, who both confessed.

    The DPP said no prima facie was made against Ugolor and ordered that he should be released, if still in custody.

    He said the confession of an accused person is not admissible evidence against a co-accused.

    The DPP advised that Wilfred Iserhienrhien be released because no prima facie case was made against him except for the sale of the cartridge.

    The three suspects arrested by the State Security Service (SSS) denied involvement in Oyerinde’s killing.

    They said they confessed under duress and torture.

    Ugolor said the DPP’s advice has exonerated him and alleged that the police framed him up.

    He said: “We have come to a glorious end of the battle to enthrone justice in my case and I thank God Almighty, who used great citizens to fight oppression in this country.

    “My case has ended, but the battle to free innocent people held captive and end the culture of impunity among law enforcement officers has just begun. We are going to start a campaign for police and prison reforms.”