A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has sentenced Olalekan Ogunyemi, a dismissed police officer, to life imprisonment for killing Kolade Johnson, PREMIUM TIMES reports.
The judge, Adenike Coker, on Thursday found the convict guilty of manslaughter.
The verdict is coming three years after Mr Johnson, who was 36 at the time, was shot during a raid by a police officer at Onipetesi in Lagos, while watching the English premiership match between Tottenham and Manchester United on 31 March 2019.
The police officer wore a polo shirt with the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) inscribed on it.
The incident sparked outrage on social media and the police officer was dismissed, while Godwin Orji, a sergeant, who was also tried alongside the killer cop, was demoted.
Delivering judgment, Mrs Coker found the former inspector guilty of killing Mr Johnson and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The convict was initially charged with murder, but the court found him guilty of manslaughter as a result of a lack of intention on his part.
The judge also held that the convict will be eligible for parole after serving a minimum of 25 years in prison.
During the trial, the prosecution called seven witnesses, while the defence called two witnesses.
Oluwaseun Williams, a pathologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, who testified as the sixth witness, said the deceased suffered six gunshot injuries that led to his death.
“There were four injuries on the thigh, two injuries on the hands, one on the right hemiscrotum (either half of a scrotum), one on the left hemiscrotum, Mr Williams said during cross-examination.
“The injury on the left hemiscrotum was an abrasion which could be from anything and the second-hand injury was not related to injuries caused by gunshots.
“Six of the injuries were related to the penetrative missiles. The injuries on the thigh were through and through. There are features that are suggestive that they were caused by firearm missiles.
“We counted six injuries identified as firearm injuries,” he said.”
