A witness in the case involving a policeman, Cpl. Abu Abolaji, who is
standing trial for alleged shooting three men to death while on
patrol, yesterday, told a Lagos High Court in Igbosere that seven
shots were mistakenly fired by him.
The witness, Mr Yahyah Emmanuel, an inspector, told the court that he
and three other policemen, including the defendant, were on patrol
when the seven shots that left threemen dead were fired.
According to the witness, "On October 1, 2009, I was at Adekunle
Police Station when we received a distress call informing us of a
robbery at Alagomeji after which four of ussigned for ammunition and
went on patrol. When we got there, we saw three men who ran into a car
and locked themselves up immediately they saw us.
"I got down from the patrol van with Cpl. Abolaji and asked him to go
find out why the men ran into the car when they saw us. After a while,
I started hearing gunshots and I movedto the scene to ask the
defendant why he was shooting."
Yahyah further told the court that one of the men died instantly and
the other two died on their way to the general hospital on Lagos
Island.
He said: "Immediately I got there, Cpl. Abolaji said it was a mistake
and the gun was collected from him by another police officer who later
discovered that seven of the bullets had been fired."
Counsel to the defendant, Mr Victor Okpala, argued that Yahyah had not
seen the defendant fire the shots, adding that the defendant was on
red alert.
State counsel, Mrs O. A. Akin-Adesomojo countered that the Inspector
had said all he knew about the incident.
After listening to the witness, Justice Ebenezer Adebajo adjourned to
October 9 for continuation of trial.
According to the charge sheet, Abolaji, on October 1, 2009,at 4, Olode
Street, Alagomeji, Yaba, Lagos at 12.30 a.m shot at three men— Mr
Ibrahim Olojede, Rotimi Philips and Friday Uti— which later led to
their death, offences which contravened Section 361 of the Criminal
Laws of Lagos State.
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