An Ikeja High Court rendered its verdict on Wednesday, convicting two individuals, Clement Ododomu and Tiwei Monday, who were charged with the heinous crime of killing seven officers from the Department of State Security (DSS). This tragic incident occurred on September 14, 2015, at Ishawo Creek in Ikorodu, Lagos State.
Justice Hakeem Oshodi, presiding over the case, delivered a guilty verdict for Ododomu on Monday. However, the sentencing was deferred to November 14, following a plea for mercy made by their legal counsel.
Oshodi found Ododomu guilty of several charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, murder, and possession of firearms. On the other hand, Monday was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder.
The defence had claimed that the defendants were in Lagos to attend their grandmother’s funeral, but Justice Oshodi dismissed this as a ruse due to a lack of corroborating witnesses.
The court found that the prosecution was unable to prove that Monday was guilty of murder. Instead, the evidence pointed to Ododomu and another individual, Agbala, as the perpetrators of the heinous act.
Justice Oshodi concluded, “Upon proper evaluation of the evidence before the court, the convicts are hereby discharged and acquitted on counts two, three, four, six, and eight because the prosecution was unable to prove the allegations against them. However, the prosecution was able to prove that the first defendant, Ododomu, is guilty of counts one, five, seven, nine, and ten, which relate to conspiracy to commit murder, murders, possession of firearms, and felony. The second defendant, Monday, is also found guilty of counts one and ten, which pertain to conspiracy to commit murder and felony.”
The defence counsel, Mr. Olusegun Akande, appealed to the court for leniency, while the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr. Babajide Martins, urged the court to impose the prescribed penalties as outlined in the relevant sections of the law.
The case had its roots in a distress call received by the DSS from an editor of the Sun newspaper on September 14, 2015, regarding the kidnapping of his wife at their residence. In response, the state command of the DSS dispatched a team to conduct surveillance and locate the kidnappers who were negotiating for a ransom.
Tragically, on that fateful evening, one of the DSS team members sent a distress message, reporting that the team had been ambushed by vandals who seized their weapons.
The convicts were charged with a total of ten counts, including conspiracy to commit murder, murder, and illegal possession of firearms, as outlined in Section 223 and 298 (3) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
