Two pipeline vandals were found guilty of killing seven Department of State Service (DSS) agents on Wednesday by Justice Hakeem Oshodi of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, Lagos.
Clement Ododomu and Tiwei Monday were found guilty by Justice Oshodi on a 10-count charge of murder and possession of a firearm in violation of Sections 223 and 298 (3) of the Criminal Law, Cap. C. A Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015, and were sentenced to prison terms.
Ododomu (first defendant) was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, murder, and possession of a firearm with the intent to commit a felony by the court.
While Monday (the second defendant) was found guilty of both failing to report a crime and conspiring to murder.
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In 2015, the DSS agents Uzor Nwafor, Kayode Oladimeji, Luke Akande, Adebayo Adeniyi, Benjamin Mafo, and Simeon Owolabi were killed while performing their duties, and the Lagos State government accused the two of killing and burying them.
Seven out of a team of nine people dispatched on an abduction rescue mission were ambushed by vandals and seized as hostages at Abule Oba, Saheed Adetunji, a DSS investigation officer testified in court during the trial.
“The first defendant claimed they took the seven DSS agents to their hiding place in the Creeks, called Barracks,” he said. He added that Monday, the second defendant, was a participant in the use of tear gas against the staff. In addition, he named Prince Sunday and Godwin Oweli as additional offenders.
When they arrived at their barracks, he allegedly shot two DSS agents with a pump-action rifle while an Agbala shot the remaining five with an AK-47.
The deceased were interred in three different graves. According to the first defendant, three thin operatives were packed into each grave that was dug by some Ijaw lads. The larger ones were then placed in pairs into the other graves.
In his ruling, Justice Oshodi stated that the prosecution could establish a portion of the charge against the two convicted individuals beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Their alibi was also disregarded by the judge, who characterised it as unreliable and an afterthought.
He further argued that their efforts to refute their confessional comments were ineffective and that the evidence in front of the court demonstrated that the extrajudicial confessional confessions were voluntary.
The sentencing hearing has been postponed until November 14, 2023, nevertheless, by the court.
(Leadership)
