Man To Die By Hanging Over Killing Of 7 DSS Officers In Lagos

• The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the convicts, who are vandals, were arraigned for killing seven officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) in the Ikorodu area of the state.
• Justice Oshodi said that Martins had told the court that the offences by the defendants were grave and that the court should apply the maximum sentences available

Two people have been found guilty by an Ikeja high court in connection with the deaths of seven Department of State Services (DSS) personnel.

The presiding judge, Hakeem Oshodi, sentenced Tiwei Monday to 16 years in prison and Clement Ododomu to death by hanging.

It was stated that the crimes were perpetrated by the convicted individuals on September 14, 2015, in Ishawo Creek, Ikorodu, Lagos.

They were charged with ten counts of conspiracy to commit murder, murder, and unlawful firearm possession, all in violation of Lagos State’s 2015 criminal code sections 223 and 298 (3).

According to the Lagos state government, on September 14, 2015, an editor of the Sun newspaper (name withheld) called the DSS in concern regarding his wife’s kidnapping at their home.

It was said that the state command of the DSS dispatched a nine-man team to carry out surveillance to ascertain the location of the kidnappers who were negotiating for a ransom.

In the evening of that day, Martins Ajayi, one of the officers in the team, sent a distress text message to the command headquarters saying that the men had been ambushed by vandals and their weapons seized.

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the crime while submitting that they were in Lagos to attend the burial of their grandmother.

But in the judgment, Oshodi held that the defence failed to provide essential witnesses to corroborate the claim.

The judge also noted that the defendants did not show remorse for their crimes.

“The court has considered the allocutus of the defence counsel, but the position of the law is binding to us all,” the judge said.

“As noted, the first defendant was convicted on counts one, five, seven, nine and ten, while the second defendant was convicted on counts one and ten.”

He held that the prosecution was not able to prove that the second defendant was guilty of murder.

Oshodi said that evidence before the court showed that it was one Agbala and the first defendant who killed the operatives.

He held that the prosecution was able to prove that the two defendants participated in the ambush of the operatives.

He discharged and acquitted the convicts on counts two, three, four, six and eight because the prosecution was unable to prove the allegations against them.

“The court has observed the demeanour of the defendants and came to the conclusion that they felt no remorse with regard to the allegations they were facing,” Oshodi said.

“They informed the court that they do not understand English language, whereas, in the recording, they both were conversing in English.

“The first and second defendants are hereby sentenced to imprisonment for 14 years for count 10 and the first and second defendants are hereby sentenced to imprisonment for two years for count 9.

“The first defendant is hereby sentenced to imprisonment for 20 years. The terms of imprisonment for both defendants will run concurrently.

“For count five and seven, which the court has found the first defendant guilty, the sentence of the court upon you is that you be hanged by the neck until you be dead and may God have mercy on your soul.”