Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos State Special Offences Court has discharged and acquitted a 38-year-old plumber Anthony Bello arraigned before her by the state for allegedly murdering his neighbour.
Justice Dada freed Bello after holding that the Lagos State prosecution could not establish the two-count charge of murder and unlawful assembly brought against the defendant.
The court held that the prosecution failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt against the defendant.
She said that the police did not investigate the case, there was no autopsy presented to the court, they did not identify the grave, and there was also no visit to the crime scene.
The defendant was arraigned before the court on October, 7,2019 and he pleaded not guilty to the charge against him.
Bello was accused of killing one Onome Uchenunu.
During the trial, the prosecution called two witnesses, one Inspector Abimbola Ogunsoro and Bola Ebireri.
Inspector Ogunsoro attached to Ikeja Police Station testified that sometime in 2018, while she was on surveillance team patrol with her men, they arrested one Pedro otherwise known as Olakunle Ogunyemi, who has been on their list as a notorious and wanted criminal.
Ogunsoro further stated that Pedro made a confessional statement concerning the people he had killed and he mentioned one Onome as one of the people that was killed by his group, whose killing was carried out by Anthony Bello the (defendant).
She stated that this new finding led to the search of the defendant and he was apprehended that same night, somewhere within the Iba environment.
The defence called two witnesses the defendant himself and his senior brother who is a Police officer.
While delivering judgment, Justice Dada held, “there was no sufficient evidence compelling the defendant. The case of murder and unlawful assembly has not been established against the defendant.
“The defendant is discharged and acquitted on the two-count charge,” the judge held.
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