Police Inspector, 60, to die by hanging
07 February, 2010 05:15:00 PATIENCE AKPURU
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For 60-year old Muslim Folorunsho, a Police Inspector, January 15, 2010 must be an awful day. The days following that date must be very horrifying for that was the day a Lagos High Court presided over by Justice Olushola Williams condemned him to death by hanging.

He will no doubt shudder each time he relives the events of that fateful day, and for the remaining days before his execution. The words of the judge on that fateful day, "the sentence of this court upon you is that you Muslim Folorunsho be hanged by the neck until you be dead and may the Lord have mercy on your soul," will always haunt him.

Folorunsho was held directly responsible and was being punished for causing the untimely death of 26-year old Perry Samuel who he shot through the head on August 2, 2005 at the CMS bus-stop, Lagos. For having the guts to take the life of a fellow human as young as Perry, he certainly does not deserve to live. That is the position of the law. And that position, the court upheld.

His journey to the hangman began on August 2, 2005 when he decided to recklessly use the AK47 given him by the Nigeria Police, an agency of government serviced with tax-payers’ money to which Perry and/or his parents must have contributed. What an irony of situation.

According to the evidence given before the court by one Ifeanyi Umendu which the judge referred to in her judgment, Perry and four of his friends (which included Umendu) were in a Mercedes Benz 230 car which belonged to one of them, one Samuel Ogbuefi.

According to the evidence, "while driving in the traffic around CMS bus stop, a plain commercial bus with four or five policemen in it packed behind them, and they heard several gunshots and the rear windscreen of their car shattered. The accused person was one of the policemen in the bus and after shooting, they ordered him and his friends to get out of the car, which they did, except for Perry who was lying unconscious in the pool of his own blood as he had been shot at the back of his head. They were all injured, they identified themselves to the policemen and told them that they were traders and not armed robbers. The policemen ordered them to enter the bus but passersby and the crowd that gathered urged them to take him and his friends to the hospital. So then they were taken to the General Hospital. Later, a relative of Perry (the deceased) took them to St. Nicholas Hospital where he was admitted.

That began Perry’s two months stay in the hospital from which he was not to return. There, he underwent two surgeries to remove particles of his skull that entered his brain when the bullet struck him in the head twice on that fateful day. After that he was moved to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba where he underwent the third surgery still on his brain.

The doctors battled to save his life and his family no doubt suffered so much pain as they watched the young man suffer and die eventually two months after the shooting on September 24, 2005. Death took Perry away with the help of a police officer who should have been a protector of the young man’s fundamental right to life. But death did not take the medical bill away and the trauma that often follow the loss of a loved one.

However, the course of justice took its turn when the court balanced the scale according to Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Law Cap C17 Vol. 2 Laws of Lagos State, 2003 which provides "subject to the provisions of this section, any person who commits the offence of murder shall be sentenced to death."

When invited to make his allocutus after reading the judgment, Folorunsho’s counsel, Mr. A Olagoke told the court "the defendant is a man of about 60 years old and have served this country for about 35 years during which he never received a query or any punishment. He is a family man who believes that life is sacred. Ironically, this led to his present situation. Justice is a three-way traffic: for the victim, the society and for the accused.

"The defendant had never shot anyone before the incident in this suit. I believe he has learned his lessons in a very hard way, so also his colleagues who are still in the police force. He has been in detention for over four years. If he is able to go back to the society, he will impart the positive knowledge he has acquired on the society.

"The victim cannot return to life. Taking the life of the defendant will not compensate the family of the deceased. I passionately appeal to the court to temper justice with mercy and minimize the sentence due to the defendant. He should be given the opportunity to educate the police from his experience. The society will benefit more from this than from taking his life," Olagoke reasoned.
Counsel to the state who prosecuted the case, Mrs. E. Alakija in her response enjoined the court to allow the law to take its natural course.

The judge in its sentence said "the law of our country does not prescribe any other punishment for the offence of murder. This court does not have the prerogative of mercy but must allow the law to take its course as submitted by the state. Consequently, I pass the sentence thus: the sentence of this court upon you is that you Muslim Folorunsho be hanged by the neck until you be dead and may the Lord have mercy on your soul."

In the course of her decision, Justice Wiliams condemned efforts by the Nigeria Police Service to frustrate the case saying "the defendant’s colleagues who were also eye witnesses to the crime did not attend court to testify. The defendant sought to unsuccessfully cash in on this syndrome which occurred in this trial when he claimed that failure to bring the defendant’s colleagues to testify was fatal to the case of the prosecution. Fortunately in this case, there were other eye witnesses who testified and the intransigence of the police could not defeat the ends of justice."


http://www.champion.com.ng/index.php?news=27568

If the bad eggs are killed like this everyday,then with time,the NPF may regain its lost glory.The judge did very well,100% support 4rm me.

So sad, but there are so many psychos in police uniform out there, eager to waste innocent lives when they fail to catch the real crooks. Good judgement. Brave judge.

So sad, but there are so many psychos in police uniform out there, eager to waste innocent lives when they fail to catch the real crooks. Good judgement. Brave judge.

Since the police can't uphold the law, let the courts be sentencing them to death for any body they murder. this will teach them a lesson.

newmaster:

When invited to make his allocutus after reading the judgment, Folorunsho’s counsel, Mr. A Olagoke told the court "the defendant is a man of about 60 years old and have served this country for about 35 years during which he never received a query or any punishment. He is a family man who believes that life is sacred. Ironically, this led to his present situation. Justice is a three-way traffic: for the victim, the society and for the accused.

He was serving his pocket, not the country. How many civil and public servants ever serve this country?

newmaster:

"The defendant had never shot anyone before the incident in this suit. I believe he has learned his lessons in a very hard way, so also his colleagues who are still in the police force. He has been in detention for over four years. If he is able to go back to the society, he will impart the positive knowledge he has acquired on the society.

It’s now he will learn, but he won’t live to tell the tale.

newmaster:

"The victim cannot return to life. Taking the life of the defendant will not compensate the family of the deceased. I passionately appeal to the court to temper justice with mercy and minimize the sentence due to the defendant. He should be given the opportunity to educate the police from his experience. The society will benefit more from this than from taking his life," Olagoke reasoned.
Counsel to the state who prosecuted the case, Mrs. E. Alakija in her response enjoined the court to allow the law to take its natural course.

The police never have mercy for any body, even if an accused is found innocent. You must cough up money for your bail.

newmaster:

In the course of her decision, Justice Wiliams condemned efforts by the Nigeria Police Service to frustrate the case saying "the defendant’s colleagues who were also eye witnesses to the crime did not attend court to testify. The defendant sought to unsuccessfully cash in on this syndrome which occurred in this trial when he claimed that failure to bring the defendant’s colleagues to testify was fatal to the case of the prosecution. Fortunately in this case, there were other eye witnesses who testified and the intransigence of the police could not defeat the ends of justice."

That is what they always do, even hiding evidence against politicians, in fact highest bidder gets the evidence or evidence is erased.