Court sentences police corporal to death for killing three-year-old girl

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An Ikeja Court in Lagos on Thursday sentenced an ex-police corporal, Ikechukwu Nwabueze, to dying by hanging for killing a three- yr-aged girl, Kasufara Muritala. The Information Company of Nigeria experiences that Justice Olabisi Akinlade observed the 35-year-old former policeman responsible of murder charge preferred against him.

Nwabueze, who was arraigned on June 15, 2010 from the Lagos Think Directorate of Public Prosecutions acquired pleaded not guilty to the charge.Mrs. Olabisi Ogungbesan, the Director of General public Prosecution, claimed that Nwabueze on April the 5th, 2009 at a police check out-point at Ketu-Alapere, Lagos, shot at a Nissan Sunny car conveying the deceased and her parents.Ogungbesan claimed which the incident occurred at Obanle Aro bus cease, Ketu-Alarape at about 9.30p.m when Kasufara and her parents ended up returning from a naming ceremony.

She said the father in the deceased, Saliu Muritala, was hit on his hand while the minor young lady, who was sitting down to the spine seat with her mommy, was shot inside mind.The DPP mentioned the 5 policemen from Alarepe Police Station, such as Nwabueze, fled through the check out-level immediately after the father came out with the car while using lifeless entire body of the deceased.In her judgment, Akinlade held that the prosecution proved its event versus Nwabueze past affordable doubt.

She said the defendant in his confessional statement to your police right after his arrest, acquired admitted shooting in the rear with the vehicle but not using the intent to kill the deceased.The choose held that Nwabueze’s attempt to deny which the statement was not made “voluntarily as an right after-believed aimed at misleading the court docket.“It's trite legislation that a confessional statement of your defendant is related and shouldn't be discarded merely on the basis that he received retracted the statement in the course of trial.” the judge claimed.Akinlade stated the testimony of the Chief Pathologist, Lagos State College Educating Hospital, Prof. John Obafunwa, who conducted the autopsy to the deceased, was not contradicted throughout the trial.

The decide explained Obafunwa obtained testified that the trigger of loss of life was being a result of missile injuries to Kasufara’s skull.

She claimed the ballistic report presented by an additional witness, Sgt. Tamimu Jerimiah, confirmed which the deceased was killed from your bullet fired from an Ak-47 rifle calibre 7.62 mm, assigned to Nwabueze.Akinlade stated, “If certainly he shot the automobile within the rear, the bullet would not have hit the occupants from the car or truck.“In my view, by virtue in the defendants training as being a police officer, he can't claim that he did not know the probable penalties of his action.“I, thus, maintain which the defendant experienced the intention to kill or result in grievous bodily harm towards the occupants in the automobile when he fired for the spine windscreen in the vehicle.

“I come across him guilty as charged.’’

The judge also dismissed an appeal by Nwabueze’s counsel, Mr A.O. Omodele, towards the court to temper justice with mercy and be lenient in its sentence.She famous that the defendant received murdered the little young lady in cold blood, stressing that it absolutely was a clear instance of recklessness currently being perpetrated by policemen on innocent citizens.She additional, “Only God knows what, Kasufara Muritala, would have grown to be in long run. I hope customers of your Nigerian Police will find out a lesson from him and cease additional-judicial killings.“The sentence of your court upon you Nwabueze is that you be hanged through the neck until eventually you're dead and may perhaps the Lord have mercy on your own soul.