The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Segun Fabunmi

  • DPO jailed 10 years over fuel subsidy protester’s death

    DPO jailed 10 years over fuel subsidy protester’s death

    Justice Olabisi Akinlade of a Lagos State High Court sitting in Igbosere on Monday sentenced a former Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr. Segun Fabunmi , to 10 years in prison for manslaughter following the death of one Ademola Aderintola Daramola during the January 9, 2012 fuel subsidy protest in Lagos.

    Justice Akinlade also found Fabunmi, a dismissed Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), guilty of shooting three other persons – Alimi Abubakar, Egbujor Samuel and Chizorba Odoh, during the protest, thereby causing them grievous bodily harm.

    She sentenced him to five years on this count, but both sentences are to run concurrently.

    Fabunmi, of No. 12 Oyewole Street, Ogudu, Lagos, who joined the police in 1984, was arraigned on May 5, 2013 by the Lagos State government on a seven-count charge bordering on murder, attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm.

    At the time of the incident, the defendant was the DPO of Pen Cinema Police Station, Agege and had led out his men to Yaya-Abatan area of Ogba following intelligence report that there was a disturbance in that area and that hoodlums were breaking people’s windscreens and holding innocent people hostage.

    He had testified that when he got there, there was break down of law and order and that immediately the hoodlums saw him and the seven other policemen on his team, they started throwing bottles, sticks, cutlasses, stones and Molotov Curtails.

    Fabunmi said he was attacked by the mob, during which the rifle containing 60 bullets went off. But he denied shooting the deceased or anyone else.

    The court agreed with the defendant that there was indeed a mob at the scene of the incident, but concluded that his testimonies on whether or how an attempt was made to snatch his AK47 rifle and who fired the weapon were conflicting.

  • DCO shot at us while we ran, says witness

    A Lagos High Court, Igbosere heard yesterday how a dismissed Divisional Crime Officer (DCO), Segun Fabunmi, charged with murder, shot at a crowd while people ran during the January 2012 fuel subsidy removal protest.

    Led in evidence by the state Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mrs. Olabisi Ogungbesan, a witness, Chizoba Udoh, told Justice Olabisi Akinlade that he was reading a newspaper at Maternity Junction, Yaya Abatan Street, Ogba, Lagos on January 9, 2012, when a police van arrived.

    “Suddenly a policeman got off from the van and shot in the air. I immediately crossed the road.

    “Another policeman, who was not in uniform, collected the gun from him and shot at the crowd at the Maternity Junction, while we ran.

    “It was while we were running that Adedamola Daramola was killed. Three others and myself sustained bullet injuries,” he said.

    Another witness, Moses Daramola, who said the deceased was his brother, told the court that he was in his home at Ogba when he heard gunshots from Yaya Abatan Street, Ogba.

    “When I got to the scene, people told me that my brother had been shot and taken to General Hospital, Ifako Ijaye.

    “I got to the hospital and found out that my brother is dead. I cried and was taken back home, while his body was taken to the mortuary,” he said.

    Fabunmi was arraigned on May 5 last year for murder and attempted murder. He pleaded not guilty.

    He was accused of killing Adedamola Daramola and injuring Alimi Abubakar, Egbujor Samuel and Chizorba Odoh.

    The defendant was admitted to bail on health grounds.

    At the resumed hearing, the prosecuting counsel informed the court of an additional proof of evidence and prayed that she should be allowed to call the witness.

    But the defence counsel, George Oguntade (SAN), objected, saying he had not been served the additional proof and therefore the witness could not be called.

    Following the objection, Justice Akinlade told the prosecuting counsel to call other witnesses listed on the first proof of evidence, in order not to waste time.

    During cross examination, the defence counsel argued that the hospital the deceased was taken to was not in operation that day due to the strike.

    Justice Akinlade, after listening to both counsel, adjourned till March 19 for continuation of trial.

     

  • Subsidy protest: DPO shot at crowd – Witness

    A Lagos High Court, Igbosere, on Tuesday heard how a dismissed Divisional Police Officer, Segun Fabunmi, charged with murder shot at a fleeing crowd during the January 2012 fuel subsidy subsidy.

    Led in evidence by the state Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mrs. Olabisi Ogungbesan, a witness, Chizoba Udoh, told Justice Olabisi Akinlade that he was reading newspaper at Maternity Junction, Yahaya Abatan, Ogba on January 9, 2012, when a police van arrived.

    “Suddenly a policeman got down from the van and started shooting in the air and I immediately crossed the road.

    “Another policeman who was not in uniform then collected the gun from him and shot at the crowd gathered at the junction while we ran.

    “It was while we were running that one Adedamola Daramola was killed, while myself with three others sustained bullet wounds,” he said.

    Another witness, Moses Daramola, who claimed that the deceased was like a brother to him, told the court that he was in his house at Ogba when he heard gunshots coming from Yahaya Abatan.

    “When I got to the scene, people started telling me that my brother had been shot and taken to General Hospital, Ifako Ijaye,

    “I got to the hospital and found out that my brother was dead. I cried and was taken back home while his corpse was taken to the mortuary,” he said.

    Fabunmi was arraigned on May 5, 2013 for murder and attempted murder, to which he pleaded not guilty.

    He was accused of shooting to death Daramola during the protests and causing grievous bodily harm on Alimi Abubakar, Egbujor Samuel and Chizorba Odoh during the protests against fuel subsidy removal.

    The defendant was later admitted to bail on health grounds.

     

  • Witness absence stalls killer DPO’s trial

    The trial of a former Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Segun Fabunmi, accused of murder and attempted murder during the 2012 fuel subsidy removal protest, was on Monday stalled following the failure of the prosecution to produce witness in court.
    Prosecuting officer, Mrs. Olabisi Ogungbesan, at the resumed trial of the matter before Justice Olabisi Akinlade of a Lagos High Court, Igbosere, prayed the court to stand down the case pending the arrival of a witness, an IPO, Sunday, whom she claimed was testifying at a Magistrates’ Court in Ikeja.
    But after the matter was recalled, the IPO was still not in court and Ogungbesan apologised for his absence.
    Angered by the prosecution’s response, Justice Akinlade queried the prosecution for bringing in witnesses in piecemeal.
    “Is this IPO your only witness? Where are the balistician and the pathologist?
    “Why bring witnesses in piece? I have given you a whole day and you have not come to court with a witness.
    “The same thing happened at the last trial date. I thought you are ready to deal with this case expeditiously,” said Akinlade.
    Continuing, the judge said: “It is a big insult for the High Court to wait for a witness who had gone to testify in a case at a Magistrates’ Court.
    “I cannot continue wasting my dates because I expect you to bring two or more witnesses to court.”
    In his reaction to the prosecution’s prayer, counsel to the defendant, George Oguntade (SAN), urged the court to adjourn the matter to the next fixed date, since no one was certain of the time the witness will come.
    Akinlade, who warned that she would not tolerate such excuses from the prosecution, adjourned the case to February 18.
    A former DPO of Pen Cinema police station, Agege, Fabunmi was charged to court on May 5, 2013 for murder and attempted murder.
    He was accused of shooting to death one Adedamola Daramola, during the protests and causing grievous bodily harm on Alimi Abubakar, Egbujor Samuel and Chizorba Odoh all on January 9, 2012.

  • Subsidy protest: Dismissed DPO arraigned for murder

    Lagos State government on Wednesday arraigned the dismissed Divisional Police Officer of Yaya-Abatan Police Station, Segun Fabunmi, at the state High Court, Ikeja, over an alleged murder of Adedamola Daramola during last year’s subsidy protest in the state.

    Fabunmi was arraigned before Justice Olabisi Akinlade on a seven- count charge of murder, attempted murder and wounding of some protesters during protests against the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.

    The state Director of Public Prosecution, Mrs. Olabisi Ogungbesan, alleged that Fabunmi committed the offences at about 9.30am on January 9, 2012 at Yaya-Abatan, Agege, Lagos.

    Ogungbesan told the court that Fabunmi allegedly murdered Daramola, attempted to murder and also caused bodily harm to three others by shooting at them with his AK 47 rifle.

    The DPP listed those who the defendant allegedly attempted to kill and inflicted grievous bodily harm on to include Alimi Abubakar, Egbujor Samuel and Chizorba Odoh by separately and at different times shooting at them with his gun.

    According to the DPP, Fabunmi allegedly shot Abubakar and Samuel on their left legs while Odoh was shot on his right index finger.

    The alleged offence, the DPP said contravenes Section 221 of the Criminal Law, No. 11, 2011, while the offences of attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm were said to, respectively, contravene sections 228 and 243 of the same law.