Prosecution of Drambi Vandi, the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) the sole suspect in the killing of a female lawyer, Omobolanle Raheem, on Christmas Day, in the Ajah area of Lagos, continued on Wednesday, with one of his colleagues, Olorunshola Segun, recounting how he disarmed the fellow officer after the incident.
In his testimony on Wednesday, as a witness before a Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square, he said: “I am a police officer presently attached a the Ajah Police Station. On December 25, 2022, we were scheduled to go on patrol for 24 hours.
“I was at Ajah Police Station. I was one of the operational officers in charge of patrolling the neighborhood. We had the patrol team divided into various sections and areas of patrol. I was the patrol officer in charge of Ajah. Drambi Vandi and I were on patrol together. He was on patrol from Ajah to Ilaje, while mine was from Ajah to Sangotedo.
“All patrol officers on the said date left the police station after the parade. Two hours later, I came back to the station; somebody rode down on a bike; he met me where I was sitting. The man on the bike reported that one of our ASP, Drambi Vandi, shot a pregnant woman.”
Led in evidence by Moyosore Onigbanjo, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, as the fifth prosecution witness, he stated how after the rider passed the information, he went to inform the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), who called the anti-crime patrol team 99 and thereafter went with the patrol team to the hospital.
He added: “After about 30mins, the DPO came back with the ASP. When he came back, he was wearing a native shirt on his uniform trouser and he was dangling his rifle on his left shoulder. When the DPO came in, he was led by two other armed policemen. So, myself, the DPO and the entourage went to the charge room. The DPO instructed that he should be disarmed and detained.
“He handed his rifle over to me there in the charge room because I am next in command to the DPO. After handing over, the armourer, whose office was right in front of the charge room, asked me to give him the rifle. I don’t know what the armourer did, because I just handed over the rifle.”
Confronted by Adetokunbo Odutola, the prosecution lawyer, who asked him if he made a written statement in respect of the matter, the police officer, answered in the affirmative, after which he confirmed the statement, which was made to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), as shown him by the lawyer, as his own, which was then marked as Exhibit P6.
Justice Ibironke Harrison adjourned the case till February 2, 2023, for continuation of trial, after Onigbanjo told the court that the prosecution presented the ballistics report containing evidence relating to firearms involved in the death of Raheem to the defence counsel.
