Dismissed DPO facing murder charges fails to meet bail terms

Dismissed Divisional Police Officer of Pen Cinema Police Station, Agege, Mr. Segun Fabunmi, who is facing murder charges for allegedly killing a protester, has not met the terms of the bail granted him by a Lagos High Court, Ikeja, on July 5.

On Tuesday, Justice Olabisi Akinlade refused to hear Fabunmi’s application for variation of the bail terms.

Akinlade, rather than hearing the application, ordered the ex-DPO’s trial to begin.

Two prosecution witnesses, led by the Director, Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Olabisi Ogungbesan, subsequently testified.

The judge had granted bail to the accused in the sum of N250m with two sureties in like sum.

Among other bail conditions are that one of the two sureties must have N100m worth of property in Lagos and the other must have attained a directorate level in either the federal or Lagos State civil service.

The judge did not allow Fabunmi’s lawyer, Mr. George Oguntade (SAN), to present the case before she ordered the prosecution to call its first witness.

Akinlade said, “The matter is for trial and I’m prepared to go on. I’m on leave and I’m not ready to hear any variation application.

“I adjourned for this trial so I’m not in a position to hear it. Serve it, I’ll hear it at my convenient time.”

Fabunmi was on May 5, 2013 arraigned on seven counts of the murder of Ademola Aderinto, attempted murder and inflicting of grievous bodily harm on four others.

The two prosecution witnesses – Adekunle Alabi and Alimi Abubakar – who testified on Tuesday accused Fabunmi of shooting at protesters during the protest against removal of fuel subsidy at Yaya-Abatan Junction in Agege on January 9, 2012.

Alabi said, “There were about eight of us. Police parked their vehicles and the driver asked us to remove our goal post and leave there, which we did.”

He said he had barely walked into his house when sounds of gunshots shattered the morning air.

He added that he saw Fabunmi snatch a gun from a fellow policeman and started shooting indiscriminately, and that the deceased, Aderinto, was shot in the process.

The second witness said he was at the vendor’s stand when the shooting began.

Abubakar said one of the policemen shot into the air, and then into the ground, before his gun was snatched by Fabunmi who he shot straight at them.

The witness said a bullet hit his leg and managed to crawl into a nearby mosque from where he said he saw Fabunmi pursuing some people, among whom was the deceased.

The witnesses were cross-examined by the defence lawyer and the court adjourned till October 25 and November 21 for continuation of trial.


Punch

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