Justice
An Ado Ekiti High Court has sentenced two police officers to death by hanging for their roles in the killing of two members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over allegation of the defacement of posters of political opponents in Omuo Ekiti about two years ago.
Fracas broke out between the PDP and Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, on March 23, 2011 at Kota Junction in Omuo Ekiti over alleged defacement of posters belonging to PDP aspirants in the community, a development that prompted police to be drafted to the scene of the incident which later led to the death of two PDP members.
Miffed by the murder, a PDP chieftain in the town and now state Deputy Chairman, Hon. Femi Bamisile, with a crowd of supporters stormed the government office in Ado Ekiti and accused the state government of complicity in the murder.
The affected police officers are, Mr Ameh Richard and Akinyode Olaiya , they were said to have been found guilty of the murder of two PDP members whose names were given as Kehinde Faluyi and Michael Ipinlaye.
The trial judge, Justice Abiodun Adesodun who in his judgement yesterday, disclosed that there were sharp contradictions in the evidence adduced by the accused persons, which he said had made their evidence unreliable.
According to him, there were contradictions in the confessional statements by the accused persons during their interrogation by the police and the oral testimonies during cross-examination in court.
Justice Adesodun noted that the evidence by the prosecution counsel, Messrs Femi Onipede and Omope Oluwanitemi were overwhelming and convincing enough for him to grant their reliefs.
His words: “The prosecution counsel have proved their case beyond reasonable doubt and the accused persons are hereby sentenced to death by hanging.”
Culled from Vanguard