Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Court Pronounces Vandals Who Killed 7 DSS Operatives Guilty Of Murder

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An Ikeja High Court of Lagos State, today, pronounced two pipeline vandals, Clement Ododomu, and Tiwei Monday, guilty of killing seven operatives of Department of State Service (DSS).

The court presided over by Justice Hakeem Oshodi, has consequently convicted the two men on the conspiracy and murder charges.

The two vandals had on September 14, 2015, conspiracy and murder of seven operatives of the DSS, at Ishawo Creek of Ikorodu area of Lagos State.

The judge however, deferred their sentence till November 14, after hearing of their lawyer’s allocutus plea.

The court found the first convict, Ododomu guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, murders, possession of firearms and felony. While the second convict, Monday, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and felony.

The State government had alleged that, on September 14, 2015, the Lagos State Command of DSS received a distress report from one Mr. Nwosu from The Sun Newspaper about the kidnap of his wife at their residence.

The Command swiftly dispatched a nine-man team to carry out a surveillance operation to ascertain the location of the kidnappers who were negotiating for a ransom.

The officers were ambushed, but the convicts were arrested following a distress text message sent by Mr. Martins Ajayi to the station, that they had been ambushed by vandals and their weapons seized.

Afterwards, the two convicts were arrested and arraigned on a 10-count charge bordering on murder and possession of firearms contrary to Section 223 and 298 (3) of the Criminal Law, Cap. C. A Vol. 3, Laws of Lagos State 2015.

They pleaded not guilty to all the counts charge and the prosecution began the trial.

However, Justice Oshodi in his judgement held that the defence claim that the defendants were in Lagos for the funeral service of their grandmother is a ruse because they failed to provide essential witnesses to corroborate their claims.

The court also held that the prosecutor has not been able to prove the second defendant guilty of murder because the evidence before the court shows that it’s one Agbala and the first defendant that killed the operatives. 

Justice Oshodi also said that the prosecutor was able to prove the culpability of the two defendants for felony having participated in the ambush of the operatives.

The judge e said that “Upon the proper evaluation of the evidence before the court, the convicts are discharged and acquitted on counts of 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 because the prosecutor was unable to prove the allegations against them. 

The judge also noted that the prosecutor was able to prove that the first defendant,  Ododomu, is guilty of counts one, five, seven, nine and 10 which borders on conspiracy to commit murder, murders, possession of firearms and felony. While the second defendant, Monday, is found guilty of counts one and 10 which borders on conspiracy to commit murder and felony.

Following the pronouncement of the court that they are guilty as charged, the defence counsel, Mr. Olusegun Akande, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing his client.

Reacting to the prayer, the prosecutor, Dr. Babajide Martins, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), urged the court to convict them as prescribed by the section under which they were charged.

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