Oluwatosin Omojuyigbe
The Lagos State Government has bowed to pressure to prosecute four cops,
who were involved in the killing of two young men, who were labelled as phone
thieves, in the Igando area of the state after it had said they had no case to
answer.
Inspector Fabiyi Omomayara, Sergeant Olaniyi Solomon, Sergeant Solomon
Sunday and Constable Aliyu Mukaila were captured on video shooting dead Segun
Sholaja and Ogheneovo Ebobo after they had been arrested and restrained.
The clip, which went viral, drew wide criticisms as many called for the
arrest and prosecution of the cops.
The Lagos State Police Command, in a swift reaction to the outrage, had
subjected the policemen to orderly room trial, which found them guilty, and
dismissed them and arraigned them for murder.
The case file was subsequently duplicated and sent to the Directorate of
Public Prosecutions for legal advice.
However, the DPP, in its advice dated September 16, 2019, with reference
number CB: 3514/LSXD4/Vol.6/31, exonerated the cops, saying the victims were
hit by bullets during an exchange of gunfire with the police and taken to the
Iba Police Station, where they died of gunshot injuries.
In the advice signed by the Director of the DPP, Babajide Martins, on
behalf of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, the DPP noted that
the policemen had no case to answer as they acted in self-defence.
The families of the victims had accused Martins of being an accomplice
in the murder of their sons and called for a review of the advice.
However, the Ministry of Justice, on Wednesday said fresh facts had
shown that the cops were culpable and would be prosecuted.
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