Raheem’s family posed no threat when Vandi shot – Inspector

Mr Gbenga Raheem, the husband of late Lagos lawyer, Omobolanle Raheem, will testify in court on Thursday (today) in the ongoing trial of an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Drambi Vandi, who allegedly killed her on Christmas Day in the Ajah area of Lagos State.

Our correspondent confirmed the development at the resumed hearing of the proceedings at the Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square on Wednesday.

During the proceedings, a second prosecution witness, Inspector Ebimine Fiyegha, told the court that the deceased and her family were peaceful when they drove past them on the day of the incident.

Fiyegha, while addressing the court, said the vehicle driven by Raheem’s husband posed no threat to him or the public.

His testimony before Justice Ibironke Harrison of the Lagos State High Court corroborated the testimony of the first witness, Inspector Matthew Ameh.

The witness, while being led in evidence by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), corroborated Ameh’s account of the shooting.

He said, “One woman was in the passenger seat, and a man was driving. I flagged the vehicle down, it didn’t stop. They passed me. I wondered why he was not speeding.

“Ameh also flagged him down but he didn’t stop. Shortly after, I heard a gunshot from the back. I asked Ameh, ‘What is going on?’”

Fiyegha told the court that afterwards, a crowd gathered, swooped on Vandi, brought him out of a commercial minibus where he hid, and put him in the deceased’s car.

“I was trying to find out what was going on. I called Vandi on the phone to find out. I said, ‘Oga, what happened?’ He said, ‘Wait’,” Fiyegha said.

He testified that Vandi’s response was the same when he called him some minutes later.

While responding to Onigbanjo’s questions, the witness said the family posed no threat to him or the public when they drove past.

“As the Venza approached, was there any threat to the general public?” he queried.

The witness said, “No, they were peaceful there.”

The witness, who earlier stated that he was armed, denied firing his weapon.

Earlier, Vandi’s lawyer, Adetokunbo Odutola, completed his cross-examination of Inspector Ameh, which began on January 16.

Responding to Odutola’s questions, Ameh explained that the noise he referenced in his earlier statement could not have been anything else but a gunshot.

“When you hear the sound of a banger, it is different from a gunshot sound. A tyre burst sound is different from a gunshot sound,” Ameh stated.

Following Odutola’s cross-examination, the court adjourned till Thursday for continuation of trial.