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.”

READ ALSO: Tunji-Ojo to address varsities’internalisation challenges at UNILAG conference

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

The post Bolanle Raheem: Court sentences killer policeman, Vandi, to death appeared first on Frontpageng.

On Sunday night at Oregon in the U.S., Amusan with a time of 12.33 seconds emerged winner of the fiercely-contested 100 metres hurdles event.

The win has come after a disappointing outing in Budapest, Hungary during the World Athletics Championships.

Amusan, with Sunday’s remarkable performance, has now made history as the second woman in Diamond League history after Dawn Nelson-Harper to win a hat-trick of 100m hurdles titles.

Interestingly, Sunday’s win has come for Amusan in Oregon where she won the world title last year and also set a world record in the process.

For Sunday’s race, the hard-charging Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico finished second in 12.38 while American Keni Harrison was third in 12.44.

Danielle Williams of Jamaica who dethroned Amusan in Budapest finished fourth in 12.47

The athletics season has been a torrid one for Amusan but she emphatically proved on Sunday she is arguably the best sprint hurdler in the world.

The sweet victory in Oregon brings a triumphant close to what has been a difficult summer for Amusan.

Amusan was left shattered in the build-up to the World Championships in Budapest after she was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit, AIU, for whereabouts failures.

READ ALSO: Tinubu nominates new ministers for Federal Ministry of Youth

The 26-year-old was cleared by a disciplinary tribunal on the eve of the meet’s kick-off.

It was not surprising then when Amusan uncharacteristically finished sixth in the 100m hurdles final in Budapest.

With many not initially sure whether the AIU would file an appeal against Amusan at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), the focus already shifted.

It was shifted to next year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

However, with a better frame of mind to prepare, Amusan came out smoking to win her third Diamond League trophy on Sunday.

The world record-holder first made history in 2021 when she ran a 12.42 African record to become the first Nigerian to win a Diamond League title.

For those who said it was a fluke, Amusan went on to successfully defend her title the following year, running a new 12.29 Weltklasse meeting record in Zurich, Switzerland.

And on Sunday Amusan made it a hat-trick of wins with a season-best time of 12.33 secs at Eugene in Oregon.

Source: NAN

The post Amusan wins third consecutive Diamond League title appeared first on Frontpageng.

Jamaican Danielle Williams, 30, won the title in a season-best of 12.43s while Olympic champion, Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn came second in 12.44s.

Kendra Harrison of U.S.A came third in 12.46s.

READ ALSO: Volleyball: Nigeria beat Morocco, to face Algeria in 5th place match

Amusan, 26, who is the World Record holder came 6th in 12.62s in her third consecutive final.

The Nigerian queen of track had in 2022 at the World Championship in Eugene, USA, came first with a 12.40 (African record) before setting a new world record of 12.12 to smash the 12.20 world record set by Kendra Harrison in 2016.

She had her anti-doping suspension provisionally lifted just before the commencement of the championship.

The 2023 World Athletics Championships which started on August 19 is expected to end on August 27.

Source: NAN

The post Budapest: Amusan finishes 6th in 100m hurdles final appeared first on Frontpageng.