A prosecution witness, Insp. Kingsley Okomayin, on Thursday told an Ikeja High Court that no medical papers were issued after a football fan, Kolade Johnson, was allegedly shot by a policeman at Mangoro area of Lagos.
Okomayin made the revelation under cross-examination by defence counsel, Mr Abayomi Omotubora, during the trial of Ogunyemi Olalekan, a dismissed police inspector, accused of murdering 35-year-old Johnson.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Okomayin said that though it was standard practice for medical papers to be issued by the police to victims of gunshot injuries, the procedure was not followed due to the urgency of the situation.
“The people on ground were trying to save his life that is why he was rushed to the hospital without issuance of medical papers.
“He was taken to a hospital by two of his friends, and I cannot say the exact point he died.
“I did not take the statement of the defendant because as at the time I was investigating the case, the defendant was nowhere to be found.
“No bullets were recovered from the scene but the blood of the victim was seen on the ground,” he said.
Earlier, while being led in evidence by Mr Adebayo Haroun, lead state prosecutor, Okomayin said that he had 19 years experience as a police officer and was posted to Shasha Division of the Nigeria Police.
According to him, he currently works at the Investigation Department.
He testified that he was the initial Investigation Police Officer (IPO) attached to the case before it was transferred to Force Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Panti, Yaba, Lagos.
He said that at about 4.45p.m. on March 31, 2019, his station received a distress call that the Abeokuta Expressway was blocked.
“The Divisional Police Officer led me and a team of the anti-robbery officers to clear the blockage. We did not see the cause of the blockage and we left.
“Later in the evening, Kolade Johnson’s father reported that one of his son’s came to report that his son was shot by an officer of the Anti-Cultism Squad.
“We went to the scene, which was at the front of Punch Estate, Mangoro on the Abeokuta Expressway, and my statements and that of witnesses were recorded,” he said.
Okomayin said that from the statements of witnesses, one Ismail, who was with his girlfriend was waiting at a bus stop for a bus heading to Ikeja, Lagos.
“A commercial vehicle parked and two men came down from the vehicle and were dragging Ismail into the bus. He thought they were kidnappers and he asked his girlfriend to run away.
“She ran to a viewing centre and alerted the people there that her boyfriend was being kidnapped and the people at the viewing centre went to inquire what was going on.
”A policeman wearing a black anti-cultism polo shirt brought out his gun and shot Kolade Johnson. He was rushed to the hospital where he was confirmed dead.
“We filled a post mortem form, which was taken to the pathologist at the General Hospital, Ikeja, and the case was transferred to Panti. I also gave a statement at Panti to guide the incoming IPO on the information available,” he said.
Justice Adenike Coker adjourned the case until April 16 for continuation of trial, and ordered Olalekan’s continued remand at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre.
According to the prosecution, Olalekan, who worked with the Special Anti-Cultism Squad of the Nigeria Police, allegedly committed the murder at 5.10p.m. on March 31, 2019, on Onipetesi Estate, Mangoro, Lagos State.
“The former police inspector unlawfully killed Johnson by shooting him with AK47 rifle in the lower abdomen.
“The offence contravenes Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015,” the prosecution said.
NAN reports that Section 223 prescribes death sentence for anyone convicted of murder.
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