Current:Home > FinanceNigerian court sentences policeman to death for killing a lawyer in a rare ruling-LoTradeCoin
Nigerian court sentences policeman to death for killing a lawyer in a rare ruling
View Date:2024-12-23 20:58:37
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — A Nigerian court sentenced Monday a police officer to death for shooting and killing a lawyer in the commercial hub of Lagos. Many applauded the rare sentence as a punitive measure against rampant cases of police abuse.
After nearly a year, Justice Ibironke Harrison of the Lagos High Court found police officer Drambi Vandi guilty of one count of murder of Bolanle Raheem, who was pregnant at the time when she was shot dead Christmas Day last year. Local reports said Raheem was in her early forties.
Vandi shot the lawyer after her vehicle in the town of Ajah in Lagos failed to stop at a checkpoint, local media reported at the time.
He had denied opening fire at Raheem, but one of his colleagues who testified during the hearing confirmed hearing the gunshot. Vandi has a right to appeal the ruling.
“You will be hanged by the neck till you are dead,” the judge told the police officer who had pleaded not guilty.
The death sentence was lauded by many in Africa’s most populous country where allegations of abuse and extrajudicial killings against the police are rife. On social media, people hoped the sentence would send a warning signal to erring police officers who often evade justice.
Death sentences in Nigeria are common but no police officer has received such sentence in the country in many years.
Nigeria has thousands of pending death sentences. Executions rarely go into effect as they require approvals by powerful state governors. Only two warrants for death sentences were carried out since 1999, according to Inibehe Effiong, a Nigerian human rights lawyer.
There were questions about whether the Lagos Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu would approve the police officer’s execution.
Authorities have been under increasing pressure to hold security forces accountable after the deadly nationwide protests against police brutality in 2020.
While many in Nigeria praised the death sentence, some argued it should be abolished.
“The death penalty is inhumane, amounts to vengeance and prone to error. There is no evidence that it has achieved the objective of creating a deterrence to crime,” said Okechukwu Nwanguma, who leads the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre which advocates for police reforms in Nigeria.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Why Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams May Be Rejoining the George R.R. Martin Universe
- Bachelor Nation's Tia Booth Is Pregnant, Expecting Baby No. 2 With Taylor Mock
- Transgender Texans blocked from changing their sex on their driver’s license
- 3-month-old baby is fatally mauled by dogs in attic while parents smoked pot, police say
- Kraft Heinz stops serving school-designed Lunchables because of low demand
- Zoe Kravitz’s Film Blink Twice Issues Trigger Warning Amid It Ends With Us Criticism
- Love Actually's Martine McCutcheon Reveals Husband Broke Up With Her After 18 Years Together
- Emily Ratajkowski claps back at onlooker who told her to 'put on a shirt' during walk
- Bev Priestman fired as Canada women’s soccer coach after review of Olympic drone scandal
- Takeaways from AP’s report on what the US can learn from other nations about maternal deaths
Ranking
- Pitchfork Music Festival to find new home after ending 19-year run in Chicago
- Kamala Harris with Beyoncé? Yes, but the star singer was only heard through loudspeakers
- Police misconduct indictments cause a Georgia prosecutor to drop charges in three murder cases
- Why Do Efforts To Impose Higher Taxes On Empty Homes In Honolulu Keep Stalling?
- The NBA Cup is here. We ranked the best group stage games each night
- Julianne Hough Addresses Viral “Energy Work Session” and the NSFW Responses
- College Football season is about to kick off. Here are our record projections for every team
- Tech Tycoon Mike Lynch Confirmed Dead After Body Recovered From Sunken Yacht
Recommendation
-
As CFP rankings punish SEC teams, do we smell bias against this proud and mighty league?
-
Tyler Cameron Debuts Shocking Hair Transformation—And Fans Are Not Accepting This Change
-
Tropical Storm Hone forms in the central Pacific Ocean, Gilma still a Category 3 hurricane
-
Meryl Streep and Martin Short Hold Hands at Premiere Party After Shutting Down Dating Rumors
-
When does Spirit Christmas open? What to know about Spirit Halloween’s new holiday venture
-
What polling shows about Americans’ views of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
Floridians balk at DeSantis administration plan to build golf courses at state parks
-
King Charles III Shares Rare Personal Update Amid Cancer Diagnosis