On Tuesday, Clement Ododomu was sentenced to death by hanging by Justice Hakeem Oshodi of the Lagos High Court in Ikeja for the murder of Department of State Services, DSS, officers.
The judge also sentenced one Tiwei Monday to 16 years in a penitentiary center.
Judging from the evidence presented and the ‘unremorseful’ behavior of the defendants, Justice Oshodi said he reached his verdict.
According to the judge, Director, Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dr. Babajide Martins, responded to the allocutus by Defense Counsel, Mr. Olusegun Akande, who had begged the court to temper justice with mercy on October 11.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), seven DSS personnel were killed in the Ikorodu district of the state by the convicted vandals.
According to Justice Oshodi, Martins told the court that the defendants’ crimes were extremely serious, warranting the utmost penalties.
The judge said: “The court has weighed the allocutus of the defence counsel, but the position of the law is binding to us all. The first defendant was found guilty on counts one through five, seven through ten, and counts one and ten, respectively.
This is in accordance with the documentation submitted on January 13, 2017. This legal provision includes the following:
According to “Count I,” both defendants were found guilty on that particular offense.
This charge is being made in violation of Section 233 of the Lagos State Criminal Laws of 2015, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years if convicted.
For counts 5 and 7, the first defendant is facing the death penalty since they are in violation of Section 233 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
Justice Oshodi has ruled that the first defendant is guilty on Count 9 and should be sentenced to between 14 and 20 years in jail in accordance with Section 298 (3) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
Additionally, on count 10, both defendants were found guilty under Section 410 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015 and face a maximum sentence of two years in jail.
He claims that the defense’s assertion that the defendants were in Lagos for their grandmother’s burial was an elaborate hoax.
Justice Oshodi ruled that the defense did not produce sufficient evidence by not calling necessary witnesses to back up their case.
The second defendant was accused of murder, but he ruled that the prosecution did not present enough evidence to convict him.
According to Justice Oshodi, the evidence presented in court established that one Agbala and the first defendant were responsible for the deaths of the operatives.
The two defendants’ involvement in the operatives’ ambush, he ruled, could be proven by the prosecution.
Therefore, he released and acquitted the defendants on charges 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 because the prosecution failed to produce sufficient evidence.
After observing the defendants’ conduct, Justice Oshodi stated, “The court has come to the conclusion that they feel no remorse with regards to the allegations they were facing.”
Despite the fact that they were speaking English during the recording, they told the court that they did not understand the language.
For Count 10, the First and Second Defendants are each sentenced to 14 years in prison, and for Count 9, each Defendant is sentenced to 2 years in jail.
“The first defendant is hereby sentenced to imprisonment for 20 years. Both of the defendants’ prison sentences will be served at the same time.
The court has found the first defendant guilty on counts 5 and 7; the penalty is death by hanging. “For count five and seven, which the court has found the first defendant guilty, the sentence of the court upon you is that you be hanged by the neck until you be dead and may God have mercy on your soul.”
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the government of Lagos said that on September 14, 2015, the DSS received a distress call from the editor of the Sun newspaper (name withheld) reporting that his wife had been kidnapped from their home.
It was alleged that the State Command of the DSS accordingly despatched a nine-man team to carry out surveillance to identify the location of the kidnappers who were negotiating for a ransom.
It was also claimed by the prosecution that that evening, a member of the DSS team named Mr. Martins Ajayi sent a text message of distress to the Command headquarters claiming that the team had been ambushed by vandals and their weapons had been stolen.
On September 14, 2015, in Ishawo Creek, Ikorodu, Lagos, the convicts committed the offenses, as stated by the prosecution.
In accordance with Sections 223 and 298 (3) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, the inmates were arraigned on ten counts including conspiracy to commit murder, murder, and illegal possession of guns.
Mismob Media