The second in command to the DPO of the Ajiwe Police station in Ajah has told the Lagos High Court that it was he who disarmed the police officer who allegedly shot dead a lawyer, Bolanle Raheem on Christmas Day last year.
But the witness couldn’t provide any information on whether any bullet was fired from the weapon in question.
ASP Olusegun Olorunshola is the Fifth witness for the Lagos State government prosecuting the trial which is before justice ibironke Harrison sitting at the tafawa blew square annex in igboseree.
He says he and the defendant were on patrol that day but manning different routes, and that it was when he returned to the station that someone rushed in to say that asp vandi had shot the pregnant lawyer. He says he then informed the DPO who then left to bring in the defendant from the hospital where he had been taken to.
When the defendant was brought in to the police station he was taken to the charge room. the witness says the dpo instructed that he be disarmed and detained, which he did but the witness says he collected the defendants rifle form him and handed it over to the armourer and left.
“He handed his rifle over to me, there in the charge room because I am next in command to the DPO. After handing over, the armourer whose office was right in front of the charge room asked me to give him the rifle. His name is Inspector Adamu(the armourer). I don’t know what the armourer did because I just handed over the rifle.”
During cross examination led by defense counsel adetokunbo Odutola, the witness says he wasn’t there when or whether the armourer took records of the bullets in the defendants weapon when it was returned.
Odutola: Where was the defendant disarmed?
witness: He was disarmed inside the charge room
Did you meet the DPO at the hospital? No.
But you said the DPO came with the defendant to the station?
I do not know how many of them went to the scene but when the DPO came back he was with the defendant and two other policemen.
you confirmed that you disarmed the defendant by yourself
Yes, I disarmed him by myself in the charge room at Ajah police station. I handed the rifle over to the armourer and left.
Where you there when the armourer counted the bullets?
I handed over the rifle and left so I was not there when he counted the bullet. The defendant was there when I handed his rifle over to the armourer.
As a Senior police officer (ASP), what is the procedure when you disarm officers? Do you just disarm or the bullets are counted before you leave?
As a standard procedure, if you have been accused of any offence relating to bullets, the first thing you do when you are disarmed, (is that) the armourer counts the bullets in your presence because it is the armourer that gave the ammunition.
And in the case where it is not the armourer who disarmed, what is the procedure?
The armourer must be there when you are disarming somebody.
Can you also tell the court apart from the rifle which you disarmed him, what other thing did you collect from him?
“I would not know because the order was to disarm him and hand over to the armourer. I was standing beside him and he handed over the rifle.”
After the court discharged the witness upon the conclusion of his evidence, the attorney general of the state, Moyosore Onigbanjo, (SAN) announced that the ballistics report, containing the examination of evidence from the defendant’s weapon which had been pending was now ready and that the the report will be filed before the court as additional proof of evidence.
Further hearing is fixed for February 2.
