Nigerian court sentences dismissed SARS officer to death
- A state high court in Benin City, Edo state, has delivered its ruling on the killing of a car dealer
- The court disclosed why a dismissed police constable, Joseph Omotosho, was found guilty of murder
- The accused was said to have committed the offence in 2015
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A dismissed constable, Joseph Omotosho, who was attached to the defunct Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) of the Edo police command, has been sentenced to death by a state high court in Benin City.
Premium Times reported that the court on Friday, February 12, found the accused guilty of conspiring with four other police constables to kill a car dealer in 2015.
Source: Getty Images
The four other co-accused officers were reported to have escaped in the twin jailbreak during the EndSars protest last in October 2020.
The police had accused the murdered car dealer, Benson Obodeh, 26, of being a member of a criminal gang who allegedly stole a Peugeot car in Lagos.
He was said to have been arrested at his home in Benin City on May 21, 2015, and tortured to death the same day by the five police officers.
According to The Punch, when delivering the ruling, the judge, Ovbiagele, said the testimonies against the accused were firm and almost unchallenged.
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He pointed out that the accused could not substantiate counter-evidence against charges leveled against them.
The judge said:
“The fifth defendant, Joseph Omotosho, is sentenced to death by hanging or with chemical infusion as an alternative on conspiracy to commit murder.
The dismissed police officer was also sentenced to seven years imprisonment for his role in the stealing of the deceased money from his bank accounts.
Meanwhile, the Lagos state police command has announced that it will carry out an investigation into a viral video showing some officers molesting comedian Mr Macaroni and other protesters arrested at Lekki on Saturday, February 13.
Premium Times reports that this bit of information was disclosed by the command's spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi in a press statement on Sunday, February 14.
The command frowned at the behaviour of the officers, which it described as unprofessional.
Kess Ewubare is a senior political/current affairs correspondent at Legit.ng. He has both a BSc and a Master’s degree in mass communication. He has over 10 years of experience in working in several fields of mass communication including radio, TV, newspaper, and online. For Kess, journalism is more than a career, it is a beautiful way of life.
Source: Legit.ng
