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Driver who killed LASTMA officer gets 12-year jail

Published

8 months ago

July 5, 2024

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.

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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

metro

DSS, NIA probe Natasha Akpoti’s attendance at IPU meeting

Published

1 hour ago

March 16, 2025

Trends Admin

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

DSS, NIA probe Natasha Akpoti’s attendance at IPU meeting

Nigeria’s security and intelligence agencies have launched an investigation into how Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central attended the recent Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in New York without official nomination.

According to a report by Premium Times, officials from the Department of State Service (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) are reportedly examining the circumstances surrounding her attendance, including who facilitated her participation, how she obtained accreditation, and whether her presence was intended to embarrass the Nigerian government.

The investigation follows concerns that the senator did not receive official clearance from the Nigerian Senate to represent the country at the IPU event on March 11.

According to the IPU’s regulations, participation is generally restricted to official delegates nominated by their respective national parliaments, with details submitted in advance for accreditation. While some individuals may attend as observers, this typically requires explicit approval from both the IPU and the home country’s delegation.

At the meeting, Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan raised concerns about her recent suspension from the Nigerian Senate, describing it as a politically motivated move aimed at silencing her. She also made allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio. In response, IPU President Tulia Ackson stated that the organization would investigate the matter while also considering the Nigerian Senate’s perspective.

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However, Nigerian delegate Kafilat Ogbara, who chairs the House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, challenged Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims, presenting a letter from Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele. The letter stated that the senator’s suspension was due to violations of Senate standing rules rather than retaliation for her statements against Mr. Akpabio.

During a plenary session last Thursday, Mr. Bamidele questioned the legitimacy of Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s attendance at the IPU event, emphasizing that the IPU operates based on established protocols.

“So, if for any reason one of our colleagues, who was not even supposed to be there, found her way to the place, sat on the seat meant for Nigeria, and spoke for herself rather than for Nigeria, you know, that’s another issue altogether,” he stated.

Similarly, Jimoh Ibrahim, chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Activities, issued a statement on Friday asserting that Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan had no official authorization to represent Nigeria at the IPU meeting.

Sources indicate that the DSS and NIA’s inquiry is examining whether Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan obtained unauthorized credentials or was assisted by external facilitators in securing her participation. Investigators are also looking into whether her presence violated IPU regulations or Nigeria’s parliamentary protocols.

Additionally, the probe aims to determine if her statements at the meeting misrepresented Nigeria’s official position and whether any individuals or organizations played a role in facilitating her attendance without the government’s knowledge.

It remains unclear how the security agencies will act once their findings are concluded.

DSS, NIA probe Natasha Akpoti’s attendance at IPU meeting

metro

Why we awarded Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project to Hitech – Dave Umahi

Published

1 hour ago

March 16, 2025

Trends Admin

Minister of Works David Umahi

Why we awarded Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project to Hitech – Dave Umahi

The Federal Government has explained why it awarded the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project to Hitech Construction Company Ltd.

The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, made the explanation during an inspection tour of the highway project in Lagos on Saturday.

“Some people say that it didn’t go through a competitive bidding.

“I want to explain this: we have three types of procurement allowed by law,” he said.

Umahi listed the three types as restrictive procurement, selective/competitive bidding, and open bidding.

“When we started this project, we asked for companies that have up to five wirtgne concrete paver.

“You will agree with me that until we started this, the concrete paver was not common in Nigeria as it is today.

“We had to look for a company that had done this kind of project before, and that is Hitech.”

He noted that Hitech reconstructed the Oworonshoki Apapa Road.

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“We saw that they got it right; so, we called them on Section 1.

“Then, we used restrictive bidding, which we sent to BPP (Bureau for Public Procurement) and we sent to the Federal Executive Council and they looked at it and corrected where they should and passed it accordingly.

“When other companies started bringing in some equipment, because they saw that Ministry of Works is insisting, especially where we have high water table, that we must use concrete, they started to bring in concrete equipment,” he said.

Umahi said that the Federal Government consequently opened Section 2 of the project to selective bidding and selected some companies and they bid.

He said that Hitech won the bidding for Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway project.

The minister said that in Section 3A and 3B, the same thing happened.

“We have not gone outside the law, we have not gone outside the Procurement Act.”

He emphasised that President Bola Tinubu did not recommend any company for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway project.

“ I want to say that there is no corruption in it. It is very transparent,” Umahi added.

Why we awarded Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project to Hitech – Dave Umahi

metro

Corps member alleges threats over viral video criticising Tinubu gov’t

Published

1 hour ago

March 16, 2025

Trends Admin

Corps member alleges threats over viral video criticising Tinubu gov’t

A corps member serving in Lagos State has alleged that she is receiving threatening messages after publicly criticizing President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

In a viral video, the corps member, identified on TikTok as @talktoraye, voiced her frustration over Nigeria’s worsening economic situation, particularly the rising cost of living.

She questioned the government’s response to inflation and lamented how the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program has not been financially sustainable for her, as her expenses far exceed her allowance.

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She said: “If a lot of Nigerians come out and start speaking about what we are going through, maybe changes will be made in the government. I just want to say to our president, I don’t know if there is any other president that is as terrible as you, but you are such a terrible president.”

The corps member recounted her shock at the soaring prices of essential goods, including a crate of eggs now selling for N6,500, a significant jump from previous prices. She also complained about skyrocketing utility bills and transportation costs, describing them as unsustainable.

Following the video’s circulation, she claimed to have received calls from an NYSC official, who allegedly pressured her to take down the post.

In a subsequent video, she shared a recording of one such call, during which an official reportedly scolded her, saying: “Are you normal? Keep quiet and bring down the video you posted.”

As of now, the NYSC has not issued an official response to these allegations.