Slain Lagos Lawyer: Husband, Sister Testify Against Killer Cop Today

Justice Ibironke Harrison of the Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square will today( Thursday) hear the testimonies of Gbenga Raheem, the husband of Bolanle Raheem the lawyer who was shot and killed by a policeman, ASP Drambi Vandi on Christmas Day.

Justice Harrison fixed the date after the first and second prosecution witnesses, Matthew Ameh and Fiyegha Ebimine, both Police Inspectors concluded their evidence on Wednesday.

Also expected to testify on Thursday is the deceased sister, who was in the car with other family members when the tragic incident happened.

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.

At the resumed hearing of the matter yesterday, the defence lawyer, Adetokunbo Odutola completed his cross-examination of Inspector Ameh, who started his testimony on January 16.

Under cross-examination, Ameh insisted that he was at the scene of the killing and that he heard “a noise” indicating that Mrs Raheem had been shot.

He also explained that the noise he referenced in his statement could not have been anything else but a gunshot sound.

The witness said, “When you hear the sound of a banger, it is different from a gunshot sound. A tyre burst sound is different from a gunshot wound.”

The second prosecution witness, Ebimine, who was led in evidence by the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) collaborated with Ameh’s testimony.

He maintained that they were in a three-man team led by Vandi on the day of the shooting, he also confirmed that he also heard the “noise” shortly after the deceased and her husband slowly drove past him and Ameh in a Toyota Venza

Ebimine testified that “one woman was in the passenger seat, and a man was driving. I flagged the vehicle down. It didn’t stop. They passed me. I wondered why. He was not speeding. Ameh also flagged him down but he didn’t stop.”

The witness further claimed that shortly after, he heard “a gunshot sound from the back. I asked Ameh, ‘What is going on?'”