Five years after he was accused of killing a commercial motorcycle rider, reprieve yesterday came the way of an official of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA), Ganiyu Raimi, as a Lagos High Court in Ikeja discharged and acquitted him of the crime.

The trial judge, Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo, set Raimi free after upholding a no case submission he filed challenging the one count charge of murder brought against him by the Lagos State Government.

The court held that the prosecution failed to prove the allegation against the accused person and that the witnesses and evidence tendered were not enough to link him to the crime.

Raimi, who has been in prison since 2010, was accused of murdering the commercial motorcycle rider, Clement Okoro, at Oke Afa, Isolo area of the state.

According to the charge sheet, Raimi, who was a LASTMA official at the time of the incident, was trying to control traffic at Jakande junction when the deceased, who was carrying a passenger on his motorbike, tried to beat traffic.

After he was stopped by the accused, an argument reportedly occurred which led to hot exchange of words after which Okoro reportedly sped off.

It was reported that some few kilometers away from the scene of the incident, the deceased started to feel unwell and was rushed to the hospital where he reportedly died.

During the course of the trial, the prosecution called four witnesses, two of whom were Raimi’s colleagues, who testified that throughout the time the argument lasted, the deceased never alighted from his bike and Raimi did not touch him at any point.

However, the third witness, Humphrey Odem, who was Okoro’s passenger, testified that Raimi hit the deceased with his hands and belt.

During the trial, the accused lawyer, Wole Oyefeso, argued that no evidence implicated the accused and that the medical report did not implicate the accused or connect him to the death.

In his judgement, Justice Akapo pointed out that the evidence of the third witness did not link the accused to the deceased.

“The case is such that it does not require any explanation from the accused. I thereby hold that the case put together by the prosecution has failed to achieve its purpose

Source
http://www.safecozzy.com/news/court-clears-lastma-official-of-murder-charge-in-nigeria/

Make I Sidon here first. FTC

According to the charge sheet, Raimi, who was a LASTMA official at the time of the incident, was trying to control traffic at Jakande junction when the deceased, who was carrying a passenger on his motorbike, tried to beat traffic.

After he was stopped by the accused, an argument reportedly occurred which led to hot exchange of words after which Okoro reportedly sped off.

It was reported that some few kilometers away from the scene of the incident, the deceased started to feel unwell and was rushed to the hospital where he reportedly died.

Why did this case linger for 5years before judgement is passed? If the quoted is the real case, then indeed the accused deserves to be set free however, if it is the doctored case, God is watching.

APC officials, maltreating the masses since 1999.
Bringing to mind the 'Go n Die' saga.