In a recent judgment, a suspended Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Drambi Vandi, has been sentenced to death by hanging for the shooting death of Lagos-based lawyer Omobolanle Raheem on Christmas Day. The decision was made by Justice Ibironke Harrison at the Tafawa Balewa Square annex division of the Lagos State High Court.
Justice Harrison dismissed the defendant’s claim of innocence, stating that his defense lacked merit. The decision was based on the overwhelming evidence provided by the prosecution witnesses, who testified to a loud gunshot. The judgment was delivered on July 13, following the adoption of final written addresses by counsel.
Vandi was arraigned on January 16, 2023, on a murder charge but pleaded not guilty. The court expedited the proceedings, and the Lagos State Government alleged that the suspended ASP shot Mrs. Raheem in the chest on December 25, 2022, at Ajah Roundabout on Lekki Expressway, Lagos State, contravening Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The prosecution, led by former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), called 11 witnesses, including eight police officers. The defense had filed a no-case submission on February 28, seeking to quash the charges, but it was dismissed by the court on April 3. The judge held that the prosecution presented sufficient evidence requiring an explanation from the defendant.
On May 31, Vandi testified as the only witness for the defense and subsequently closed his case.
