Ayodele, a mechanic, said: “I never enjoyed any moment of peace since I married my wife.

“Bolanle has no regards for me. She sends her brother to beat me up for no reason.

“Worst still, she nearly killed me the last time because she held my private part with the intention to cut it off.

“In fact, Bolanle got me arrested over a matter I knew nothing about.

“In short, her wish is to control me,” Ayodele told the court.

He pleaded with the court to grant him custody of the two children and to also restrain the respondent from coming close to him.

However, Bolanle, a trader was silent on most of the allegations levelled against her.

“My lord, everything I did was in self-defence. Our last fight had to do with the issue of who should take the children to school.

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“My relatives and his have tried on many occasions to intervene, but no amicable solution was reached.

“I squeezed his private part because Ayodele put his hands on me. He grabbed my neck in an attempt to strangle me.

“He starves our three children and I. I am not interested in the marriage anymore,” Bolanle said.

The president of the court, Mrs S.M. Akintayo, in her judgment, held that Ayodele could not substantiate his earlier claim that he paid bride price before securing Bolanle’s hand in marriage and so rendered the traditional marriage invalid.

Akintayo held that the fact that the petitioner could not remember the actual amount he paid as bride price to the respondent’s parents meant that he did not pay anything on her.

According to her, there is no marriage to be dissolved between them.

The court’s president, however, said that since they were no longer interested in living together under the same roof, they were free to go their separate ways.

She granted an order, restraining Bolanle from further threatening, harassing, and interfering in the personal life of Ayodele.

Source: NAN

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The grandmothers voluntarily enrolled at the Lagos State Skill Acquisition Centre in Agidingbi to upgrade their skill set, picking up a new vocation in computer operations and software.

The senior citizens were among the 4,592 trainees graduated by the Lagos State government on Wednesday in various skill acquisition courses.

The Year 2022 graduation ceremony was held at the LTV Blue Roof in Agidingbi.

The graduands took the vocational training in 19 skill development centres across the five traditional divisions in Lagos.

The course fees were borne by the state government.

The skill development programme was supervised by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, WAPA.

Some of the vocational courses taken by the graduates include photography, textile making, catering and hotel management, hairdressing, fashion designing, welding, aluminum fabrication, leather work, furniture and woodwork.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the initiative was targeted at empowering the grassroots, while giving young people an opportunity to discover their innate potential and to be economically engaged.

He noted that the life skills would help the beneficiaries to be self-reliant, just as their entrepreneurial abilities would be enhanced and make them contribute to the economic growth of the state.

The governor said: “There is no gainsaying that Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of any economy, contributing to economic development and prosperity in many ways, chief among which is job creation and providing employment opportunities for people.

“We have continued to encourage vocational and skills acquisition as a pragmatic approach to alleviating poverty and promoting women and youth empowerment for financial sustainability. This administration will not hold back investment in these programmes, believing firmly that lifting people out of poverty is the cardinal goal of government.”

Sanwo-Olu advised the graduands to use the skills to raise their living standards, urging them to pass on the knowledge to empower their neighbours.

The governor told the trainees to believe in their abilities and strive for excellence, pointing out that the road to success had no shortcut.

He added that the training was made free for them to remove barriers that may hinder them from acquiring the skills.

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Sanwo-Olu said the state government created the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, LSETF, to support the goals of MSMEs, urging the graduates to approach the offices for business support and opportunities.

“We set up the Ministry of Wealth Creation to hand-hold entrepreneurs and provide support for them. LSETF is another agency working to improve your business. You must show commitment that you are ready for the future. We want to see you in the next five years and be proud of this accomplishment you have achieved today,” the governor said.

The deputy governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, advised the graduands to explore technology and social media in projecting their skills and business.

Hamzat said globalisation had shattered the economic barriers that had prevented people from showcasing their skills to the markets outside their geographical areas.

The deputy governor, however, cautioned the trainees from misusing the social media networks to project wrong image for their businesses.

Commissioner for WAPA, Mrs. Bolaji Dada, said the skill development programme was designed with the objective to fight poverty and improve livelihoods of the residents.

She urged the beneficiaries to channel their abilities to good enterprises, saying the state was expecting to unleash their potential in creating more prosperity.

The training produced 3,263 female graduates and 1,329 male graduates.

Nineteen Best Trainees across the vocational courses were presented with equipment to immediately start their crafts.

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Vandi was on January 16, arraigned by Lagos State government on a count charge of murder.

Lagos State government, which prosecuted the case,  had said that Vandi shot dead pregnant Raheem on December 25, 2022, at Ajah Roundabout on Lekki- Expressway.

The court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square remanded the defendant after his arraignment and granted accelerated hearing of the case.

While delivering judgment, Harrison said that none of the eyewitness actually saw the defendant pull the trigger.

She, however, held that circumstantial evidence was overwhelming to prove that Vandi murdered Raheem.

According to the judge, a defendant can be convicted when circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.

The judge said, “The question in the mind of the court is: Did the prosecution provide any additional evidence?

“The court finds that the ammunition of the other officers who were on patrol with the defendant remained intact but two of the defendant’s ammunition were missing.”

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Harrison said that the defendant had alleged that the shortfall in his ammunition was because it was counted in his absence.

The judge also noted that Vandi testified that the bullet tendered in court was not his, saying, however, that Vandi constituted himself as a ballistician pathologist without tendering a certificate to that effect.

She, therefore, dismissed the evidence.

“The court finds that the forensic expert and the medical doctor’s evidence confirm the circumstantial evidence that the defendant had the opportunity to shoot the victim and that the victim was shot and died from the gunshot.

“Every eyewitness heard the loud noise and passers-by shouted in Yoruba Language (oti pa eyan) meaning: you have killed someone,” she said.

Harrison held that the prosecution proved its case beyond every reasonable doubt that it was the convict who shot the gun that killed the deceased.

“The death of the deceased was instantaneous. There is no other explanation, it was the gunshot that shattered the side glass and pierced the victim’s chest.

“It was the defendant who had an AK-47 rifle whose ammunition was missing after the armourer counted it,” she held.

She also held that the defendant did not say that he pointed the gun to force or scare people in the vehicle to obey order and park the vehicle.

She added that the defendant did not  say that the shooting was accidental which would have earned him a smaller sentence of manslaughter.

“Therefore, the defendant is found guilty of the one count charge and sentenced to death by hanging until he dies,” she held.

The prosecution called 11 witnesses, including eight police officers during the trial.

The first prosecution witness, Insp. Mattew Ameh, had on January 16, testified that  the defendant, Insp Ebimine Fiyegha and himself were sent to Ajah Under Bridge on a stop-and-search operation.

He testified that a Toyota car with no number plate was flagged down by Fiyegha, but it did not stop.

The witness said that he also flagged the car to stop but it did not.

He said that the next thing he heard was a gunshot.

Vandi, in his defence, told the court that he had never come across the bullet  shown in the court as the weapon used to murder Raheem.

He said that the bullet was not the same ammunition in his rifle on the day of the incident.

The prosecution closed its case on February 25.

On February 28, Vandi, through his counsel, Mr Gbenro Gbadamosi, filed an application, praying the court to quash the charge against him.

Gbadamosi argued that evidence of the prosecution witnesses were inconsistent and did not link Vandi to the  murder.

On April 3, the court, however, dismissed the no-case submission.

Harrison held that prosecution established sufficient oral and documentary evidence linking Vandi to the  crime, which required explanation from him.

Harrison  added that evidence by Vandi would shed light on what happened.

Vandi gave evidence and closed his case on May 31.

His counsel had told the court that Vandi was the sole defence witness.

On July 13, the parties adopted their written addresses, and the court reserved judgment until October 9.

Murder contravenes Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Source: NAN

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Vandi, is standing trial on a count charge of shooting and killing a Lagos-based lawyer, Mrs Omobolanle Raheem, on December 25, 2022, at Ajah area of Lagos.

At the resumed hearing, the defendant’s counsel, Mr Jude Ugwu, led the defendant in evidence.

Vandi told the court that he had never come across the bullet that was shown in court as the alleged murder weapon.

He said that the bullet was not the same ammunition in his rifle on the day of the incident.

Vandi narrated how he attended a local training school where he learned about arms and ammunition.

He said that police were always given training every five months on rifles to refresh their memories.

The defendant said it was in the training school that he learnt about the different types of rifles, pistols and ammunition.

The defendant counsel, however, requested the court to produce exhibit P11(a), the bullet and magazine containing six bullets which is exhibit P19.

The witness, therefore, told the court that a portion of P19, was a shell of an assorted rifle used in AK-47 rifle, noting that the exhibit was used in a long range bullet.

He explained that the bullet shown in court could cover over 500 metres.

“If you line up 10 people, this particular bullet will go through all of them.

“When it is shot at a close range, it can’t remain inside the person’s body and any object at close range, it must penetrate through it.

“It must pass through at least four objects. This is not the ammunition in my rifle on December 25, 2022.

“The rifle is an automatic. To use this bullet, you must cork the rifle and anyone around that area will hear the noise of the cork,” the defendant said.

He said that immediately the rifle was fired, the shell would fall right on the ground near the person that fired it and would remain at that point.

Vandi claimed that he had never seen the bullet until it was tendered in court.

The witness also said that the exhibit was not the type of ammunition used by the police.

When cross-examined by the Director of Public Prosecution, Dr Babajide Martins, the witness said that on December 25, 2022, he was on duty at Ajah Underbridge.

The witness said that he was on duty with a rifle which had 25 rounds of ammunition.

He explained that he signed and booked the rifle from the armourer.

He also told the court that he was not the only officer that was armed on that particular day.

Vandi also narrated how he was arrested, detained and how he wrote his statement after the incident.

“I wish the deceased is alive and I regret her death. May her soul rest in peace,” he concluded.

The defendant counsel had earlier announced to the court that the defendant was their only witness.

He, however, prayed the court to give them 21 days to file and adopt their written addresses.

After listening to evidence, Justice Ibironke Harrison, directed the parties to exchange their written addresses.

Harrison, however, adjourned the case until July 13 for adoption of final written addresses.

Source: NAN

The post Bolanle Raheem: Defendant closes defence appeared first on Frontpageng.

Akagu said on Thursday while giving evidence before a Lagos High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square that the defendant asked him to give him one bullet to replace his own.

Vandi is standing trial on a count charge of shooting and killing a Lagos lawyer, Mrs Omobolanle Raheem, on December 25, 2022, at Ajah area of Lagos.

The defendant had pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against him by the Lagos State government.

The prosecution led by the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Moyo Onigbanjo (SAN), had said that the offence contravened Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

At the resumed hearing on Thursday, the witness said that he had worked for 20 years as a police officer and was currently attached to the Ajah police station.

While being led in evidence by Onigbanjo, the witness explained how he got the information about the incident.

He said after the information was conveyed to the division, he was among the officers who visited the hospital where the victim was taken to.

The witness also narrated that his team was thereafter asked to take the defendant back to the police station.

“On our way back to the police station, the defendant asked me to help him with one ammunition and I said no.

“I became angry and asked him why I should give him my ammunition. I then told our colleagues about the defendant’s request,” Akagu said.

The witness was cross-examined by the defendant’s counsel, Mr Adetokunbo Odutola.

The witness while answering questions explained that he was not present when the defendant was disarmed and could not give account of the exact time or place the defendant was actually disarmed.

After Akagu’s evidence, the seventh witness, the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Insp. Olagunju Olatunji, gave his own evidence.

Olatunji told the court that he was at the station at about 1:00 p.m., when one Enema Titilayo (the deceased’s sister), ran to the station and reported a case of conspiracy and shooting.

He told the court that he was part of the team that drove to the three hospitals the deceased was referred to before her death.

“We took her corpse to the Yaba Specialists Hospital and deposited her corpse,” he said.

Speaking of his encounter with the suspected killer, Olatunji, said that he saw the defendant hiding under a staircase at the hospital.

The IPO said that while conducting his investigation, he took the statement of the defendant and that of the complainant.

He said that both statements were taken with caution and voluntarily.

The witness said that the case was later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, for further discreet investigation.

“Before I transferred the case, I found out that the defendant fired his gun and at the same time his ammunition was not complete.

The witness was also cross-examined by the defendant’s counsel and he narrated what he found out during his investigation.

He narrated three instances that made him believe that the defendant was the person who shot the victim.

He said that among the three officers who were on patrol together, only the defendant’s gun had a shortage of bullets.

After listening to the evidence of the witnesses, Justice Ibironke Harrison adjourned hearing till February 8.

Source: NAN

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