A dismissed policeman, Ologunowa Ojo, was on Wednesday sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for killing one Taiye Akande.
Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Lagos State Special Offences Court, handed down the sentence after finding Ojo guilty of manslaughter.
Ojo, of the Special Protection Unit, Oduduwa, Ikeja, was guarding Frajend Investments Nigeria Limited, when, on February 3, 2016, he shot Akande around Shapati, in the Ajah area of Lagos.
Akande was said to have argued with Ojo for allegedly sitting on the company’s fence.
Ojo was said to have shot him in the buttocks and he was rushed to the Akodo General Hospital, where he died.
The police authorities immediately subjected Ojo to orderly room trial, leading to his dismissal from the force.
Ojo, however, said he did not have any intention to kill the victim, adding that he only wanted to scare him.
He said, “I was on duty that day and the owner of the building had instructed that he did not want anybody to sit on his fence.
“I got into an argument with some residents, and as a security man, I brought out my gun to scare them off. But one of them (Akande), engaged me in a fight and started dragging the gun with me. Suddenly, the gun discharged and hit him in the buttocks.”
However, in her judgment on Wednesday, Justice Taiwo noted that there had been many instances of extrajudicial killing by the police under the pretext of accidental discharge.
Justice Taiwo stressed that the sentence would serve as a deterrent to other policemen.
