The police have told a Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square that two of the 25 rounds of arms given to Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Drambi Vandi, the alleged killer of Lagos-based lawyer, Mrs Omobolanle Raheem were unaccounted for.
Adamu Shuaibu, the police armourer on duty at the Ajiwe Police Station, Ajah Division on the day of the tragic incident disclosed this while testifying as the seventh prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Vandi over the murder of the late lawyer.
The witness told the trial judge, Justice Ibironke Harrison that he was the one that inspect the gun and counted the rounds of ammunition after the defendant was detained at the station after he allegedly shot the deceased on Christmas Day. Vandi was arraigned before Justice Harrison by the Lagos State government on a one-count charge of murder contrary to Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.
While being led in evidence by the Lagos State attorney-general and commissioner for justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) Shuaibu testified that on the day of the incident, he received a call from Inspector Ameh Matthew, one of the officers at the scene of the incident, informing him that the defendant (Vandi) had shot a pregnant woman.
The witness also informed the court that, “when I told the DPO (Divisional Police Officer) what had happened, he led a patrol team to the scene. I called all the station guards to fortify the station.
Slain Lagos Lawyer: I Was Ordered To Disarm Vandi – ASP
“Later, I saw Drambi Vandi and Supol Segun with the defendant’s rifle, which he handed me immediately after I came out of the office.
“I disarmed Inspector (Fiyegha) Ebimine of his AK-47 rifle before cross-checking his magazine. The eight rounds of ammunition he booked were complete, but when I checked the defendant’s rifle, I realised that only 23 matches were found, and two were missing.
“I immediately moved to the cell to speak with him, and when I asked what happened, he started crying,” Shuaibu claimed.
The witness also identified the register with which he took records of arms and ammunition when asked to do so by the prosecutor.
Under cross-examination, the defence counsel, Adetokunbo Odutola asked Shuaibu to tell the court what he did with the guns when he received them.
He then stated that after he collected both guns, he confirmed the number of ammunition and he and the station officer immediately transferred the guns to the State Crime Investigation Division (SCID), Panti.
The witness also explained that he didn’t count the bullets in the defendant’s presence because, after he was disarmed, the DPO ordered his detention before leaving for the hospital.
He stated that, “The normal procedure when you return a rifle is that I will bring out the magazine and count the ammunition in the presence of the person I collected it from and then sign after confirming.”
Justice Harrison has adjourned the case to today for the continuation of the trial.
