Driver who killed LASTMA officer gets 12-year jail

A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Thursday convicted and sentenced a commercial bus driver, Elijah Shokoya, to 12 years imprisonment for killing an officer of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency.

Justice Oyindamola Ogala sentenced Shokoya after finding him guilty of the offence of manslaughter.

The judge held that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt the one count of the manslaughter of the LASTMA officer, Olawale Akinmade, who died on Wednesday, January 27, 2012.

The judge said, “The prosecution has established beyond reasonable doubt that the deceased died, that the unlawful acts of the Shokoya caused the death of the deceased, and that the acts of the convict which eventually caused the death of the deceased were with the knowledge that injury or grievous bodily harm was the probable consequence.”

The Lagos State Government had accused the convict of knocking down Akinmade with a blue and black Opel space bus with number plate AAA 74 GG while controlling traffic, and he suffered injuries to his head and body.

The prosecution, who said that the tragic incident occurred at Demurin Street junction inward Mile 12, stated that the offence contravened Section 224 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, and is punishable under Section 229.

The convict was arraigned nine years after the incident on June 23, 2021, and pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge.

Delivering her judgement, Justice Ogala held that the sole issue for determination was whether the totality of the evidence before the court, of the prosecution, had successfully proved the charge of involuntary manslaughter preferred against Shokoya to enable it to convict him thereof.

READ ALSO:

• Ten Hag signs new deal with Manchester United
• Gunmen attack Abuja-bound bus in Kogi, abduct all passengers
• How cultists disguised as friends to kill Ogun varsity final year student

The judge pointed out that the position of the law was indeed well settled that the burden of proof in criminal cases rests on the prosecution, and the standard of proof is proved beyond reasonable doubt.

She held, “As regards the death of Akinmade Samson Olawale, there seems to be no dispute as to the death of the deceased.

“The testimonies of the first prosecution witness, Aderonke Malik, testified that she saw Shokoya pushing the deceased into the front of his vehicle.

“Her testimony is that she ran there asking Shokoya to stop the car, but he did not, and that the deceased kept on banging the bonnet of the vehicle to stop.”

She testified that Shokoya did not stop until he knocked down the deceased.

“Also, in this instant case, it is instructive that the Investigating Police Officer also gave direct evidence of what she saw, heard and investigated. The court, therefore, finds that the evidence cannot be faulted as suggested by the defence in this instance.

“It must be pointed out that proof beyond reasonable doubt is not proof beyond every shadow of doubt. The degree of proof amounting to reasonable doubt need not reach certainty, but it will carry a high degree of probability.

“Once the ingredients of the offence the accused is charged with are proved, that constitutes proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and for him to be entitled to the benefit of the doubt, the doubt must be a genuine and reasonable one arising from some evidence before the court.

“The Honourable Court, therefore, finds Elijah Shokoya guilty of the one count charge of involuntary manslaughter he stands faced with and is accordingly convicted.

“I hereby sentence Shokoya to 12 years imprisonment from the day of judgment,” Justice Ogala held.

Driver who killed LASTMA officer gets 12-year jail

Gov Otti opens OSSAP-SDG-built multipurpose hospital in Abia

• We’ll achieve SDGs by 2030, says Tinubu aide

Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has inaugurated a 100-Bed Mother and Child Centre, a multipurpose hospital built by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs) in Ugwunabo, Abia State.

The governor, speaking at the event on Wednesday, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for siting the hospital in Abia State.

Otti promised that the facility would be judiciously used, adding that the state was planning to establish a medical village that would put an end to people travelling abroad for medical issues.

He hailed Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, for her tireless efforts in achieving SDGs.

He pledged the support of Abians for the SDGs’ office and President Tinubu.

Princess Orelope-Adefulire thanked President Tinubu for his sterling leadership and commitment to working closely with sub-national governments to deliver key interventions and fast-track the achievement of the SDGs in Nigeria.

“I would like to most sincerely thank Governor Otti for his unwavering commitment to the socio-economic transformation of Abia State and our collective desire to achieve the SDGs in Nigeria,” she said.

According to her, the SDGs are a universal call to action to end poverty, safeguard the planet and ensure all people enjoy peace and prosperity by the year 2030.

She stressed that the SDGs could not be achieved with standalone policies and programmes.

“They must be carefully integrated into our medium and long-term national and sub-national development policies and plans.

“It is in recognition of this that we are supporting the 36 states and the FCT on SDG-based Development Planning.

“In line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, we are committed to prioritizing key interventions with multiplier effects on multi-dimensional poverty, such as basic healthcare, vocational skills development and education provisioning.

“With COVID-19 pandemic challenging our healthcare system, strategic interventions, such as the Mother and Child Centre, have become imperative.”

The SSA to the President explained that the 100-Bed Mother and Child Centre (MCC) is equipped with state-or-the-art facilities.

She said, “They include among others two operating theatres, recovery rooms; private and general wards, scanning room, consultation rooms and laboratory.

Others are ultra-scan machine, vacuum extractor delivery set, and an emergency cart with full complements. The MCC is directly linked to the achievement of SDG-3 on ‘Quality Health and Well-being for all’, as well as other cross-cutting SDGs.

“OSSAP-SDGs has worked tirelessly to construct and furnish this state-of-the-art facility as a strategic tool for healthcare service provisioning in the state.

“It is therefore expected that the state and local governments will make judicious use of the facilities in a sustainable way for the benefit of our mothers and children.

“Let me conclude by encouraging us to make this Mother and Child Centre a beacon of hope and a testament to our collective dedication to building healthier and more prosperous communities. May it serve as a reminder that by investing in maternal and child health, we invest in the very foundation of our society’s well-being. Together, let us continue to strive for excellence in healthcare delivery and create a future where every mother and child can thrive.

“I would like to reaffirm our commitment to the achievement of the SDGs by the year 2030. We will continue to prioritize interventions with potential impact on the lives of the poor and vulnerable members of our society so that no ‘Nigerian is left behind’.”

The OSSAP-SDGs also organised a sensitization and advocacy programme for major stakeholders in the state on the acceleration of the SDGs.

Gunmen attack Abuja-bound bus in Kogi, abduct all passengers

Gunmen have kidnapped several passengers traveling in a bus at Okene, Kogi State.

According to a viral post on X, the passengers were en route from Edo State to Abuja on Wednesday when they were attacked.

The bus, owned by Big Joe Motors, a transport company based in Benin, had its driver among the abducted. The Kogi Police Command confirmed the incident.

David Aiguobagbon, a manager at the Abuja branch of Big Joe Motors, told Premium Times on Thursday that he was unsure how many people were kidnapped since the bus, which has a capacity for 13 passengers, had some passengers who managed to escape.

“We do not use or have 18 passenger buses, we only have 13. According to what we heard, there were 13 people, and some of the passengers were able to escape.