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We Were Warned Hours Before Vandi Killed Bolande Raheem, Inspector Tells Court

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A police inspector, Matthew Ahmen, who was a colleague of ASP Drambi Vandi, the police officer who allegedly killed a lawyer, Mobolanle Raheem, on Monday, told a Lagos State High Court that the Ajah Divisional Police Officer warned them against shooting any civilian.

Ahmen, who was led in evidence-in-chief by the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Moyosore Onigbajo, SAN, told Justice Ibironke Harrison that on December 25, 2022, when the incident happened, he and his colleagues resumed duty at 6am in their office at Ajah.

The witness said, “The DPO told us that on no account should anyone use firearms, except someone was in danger or our lives were being threatened.”

He said the three of them were posted to Ajah under bridge and Vandi was the leader of the team.

The witness, who noted that he enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force in 2001, stated that while they were conducting stop and search, another colleague, Dimini, was in front, while he was at the middle; Vandi was at the back.

Ahmen said when Dimini saw a car coming and he flagged it down, the car did not stop.

According to him, when the car got to where he stood, he also flagged it down but the driver did not stop.

“The next thing I heard was a gunshot and I looked back to see what was happening; I saw that a windscreen was falling down.

“The next thing I saw again was a dark woman who jumped down from the vehicle and I heard her saying, ‘Oga you have killed my sister.’ The woman held him (Vandi) and before I and Dimini could get to them, they had entered the car, locked it and left,” he added.

Ahmen said after the shooting, he and Dimini returned to the station.

He said, “Vandi entered the same vehicle and they drove him away; we did not know where they went to. While we were at the station, we saw that the DPO brought ASP Vandi to the station with the police patrol vehicle.”

Earlier, Vandi was arraigned on one count of murder preferred against him by the Lagos State Government.

He was accused of killing Raheem at the Ajah under bridge, Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lagos State.

The state government said Vandi unlawfully killed the pregnant woman by shooting her in the chest.

According to the prosecution, the offence contravened Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

However, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Consequently, the AG told the court that he had two witnesses and they were ready for trial.

Trial commenced immediately as Ahmen was called as the first prosecution witness.

After his testimony, the case was adjourned till January 25 and 26, for continuation of trial.

The President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Mr Yakubu Maikyau, SAN, and some of his members and the chairman of the Lagos Island NBA branch were also present during the trial on Monday.

Maikyau said the presence of his team in the court was to demonstrate commitment to pursue the case to a logical conclusion.

“Never again will matters like this be swept under the carpet under our watch; we would not let it happen,” he added.

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Stay Away from CBT Centres, JAMB Warns Parents, Threatens Arrest

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As this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) begins on Friday, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has vowed to arrest parents found near any Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre during the 2024 UTME exercise.

The directive was issued at the final briefing of the CBT centre owners, which was held virtually on Wednesday, 17th April, 2024.

The spokesman for JAMB, Fabian Benjamin, said this directive became necessary following the intrusive disposition of some parents during the Board’s previous exercises.

Benjamin, who quoted JAMB Registrar Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said any parent, who disobeys the order would not only be arrested but his ward would also be disqualified from sitting for the examination.

Oloyede explained that this measure became necessary as it has been discovered over time that many of these intruding parents are facilitators of examination infractions while others have, by their actions, disrupted the Board’s examinations in the past.

He added that some miscreants also disguise as parents to infiltrate the centres to perpetrate all forms of infractions.

“The Board’s helmsman noted that going by the extant national policy on education, a candidate for the examination must have attained the age of 17 years.

“Therefore, it is evident that these parents had not allowed their wards to pass through the classes as defined in the document, hence the desperation to follow their wards to the examination venue with the aim of compromising examination officials.

“At any rate, it is clear to any discerning observer that these parents deserve to be sanctioned as they had obviously ‘smuggled’ underage children into the ranks of those scheduled to sit the examination,” the Board note through a statement.

Furthermore, the Registrar said all arrangements have been concluded for the conduct of the 2024 UTME, which will be held in over 700 CBT centres across the nation.

He disclosed that the Board expects a seamless exercise but it has nevertheless made adequate provision to tackle any technical glitch that might occur in the course of the examination.

He, however, warned that if a session experienced any technical challenge, candidates in subsequent sessions would be allowed to sit their examination as scheduled while the candidates in the challenged session would be rescheduled for the last session for the day or the following day or even further depending on the centre schedules.

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Oyo Govt Demolishes Operational Base of Yoruba Nation Agitators

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The Oyo State government, on Wednesday, demolished a building serving as the operational base of the Yoruba Nation agitators led by Modupe Onitiri-Abiola, in Ibadan.

Onitiri-Abiola, one of the widows of late Bashorun M.KO Abiola, had declared the creation of the so-called Yoruba Nation in a video posted online, which has been widely condemned.

Last Saturday, some armed men in military uniforms invaded the Oyo State Secretariat, with the motive to forcefully take over the State House of Assembly, before they were dislodged by the combined efforts of police and troops for the Nigeria Army 2 Division..

Mr. Fatai Owoseni, Special Adviser on Security Matters to Governor Seyi Makinde, confirmed the demolition of the house located at Toye Oyesola Street in Ibadan South West Local Government Area.

Already, no fewer than 29 suspects – including a lecturer – arrested in connection with the foiled armed invasion were on Wednesday arraigned by the police before a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ibadan.

In a case with charge number Mi/520c/2024 between the Commissioner of Police and the 29 suspects, they were accused of a seven-count charge of treasonable felony, unlawful society, illegal possession of firearms, and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.

Inspector Bakare Rasaq, the Investigative Police Officer (IPO) at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan, said the offence contravenes, and is punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000.

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PDP BoT Queries Damagum, Anyanwu’s Continued Stay in Office

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The Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party has queried the continued stay in office of the party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu.

Recently, many party members have raised concerns about the ongoing tenure of Damagum and Anywanwu in their respective positions.

Previously serving as the PDP National Deputy Chairman (North), Damagum assumed the role of acting National Chairman following the court’s suspension of the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, in March of the preceding year.

With the National Secretary being selected as the PDP candidate for the Imo State 2023 governorship election, the South zone has been grappling with nominating a replacement. Despite this, he, along with other party leaders, contested and retained the position of party secretary after losing to Governor Hope Uzodinnma.

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