NIGERIA POLICE SENTENCE TO DEATH FOR SHOOTING A LAWYER

By Edwin F -

A police officer from Nigeria has been condemned to death for the fatal shooting of a pregnant lawyer in Lagos. The officer in question, Drambi Vandi, has been proven guilty of the crime of murder by the esteemed Justice Ibironke Harrison of the Lagos High Court. The tragic incident took place on Christmas Day in the year 2022 when Vandi, at a checkpoint in the town of Ajah, opened fire on Bolanle Raheem after her vehicle failed to halt as instructed 1.

 Drambi Vandi AND Bolanle Raheem

Raheem, a woman in her early forties who was carrying a child, met her untimely demise during this unfortunate episode. The ruling has garnered widespread praise as a strong measure against police misconduct. Nigeria has been plagued by numerous allegations of police abuse and extrajudicial killings, thus sparking hope that this verdict will serve as a cautionary tale for officers who frequently elude accountability.

In Nigeria, the issue of the death penalty sparked intense controversy, with numerous individuals contending that it was a cruel and error-prone practice. However, there exists a faction that maintains its necessity as a deterrent to crime and a means of punishing individuals who commit heinous acts, such as murder. It has been a considerable length of time since a police officer in Nigeria received a death sentence, and there remains uncertainty surrounding the execution of this particular judgment. The situation has ignited a profound debate regarding the role of the death penalty in Africa's most populous nation. Nigeria currently has a vast number of pending death sentences, yet the implementation of these punishments is infrequent due to the requirement of approvals from influential state governors. As stated by Inibehe Effiong, a Nigerian human rights lawyer, only two death sentences have been carried out since 1999.

The ruling will be appealed by the attorney general, Abubakar Malami. He emphasized that although the court has the right to make decisions, the government is dedicated to upholding justice within the boundaries of the law. The verdict arrives amidst mounting concerns regarding the excessive use of force by the police and unlawful killings in Nigeria. In October 2020, widespread protests erupted nationwide in response to a video circulating online depicting officers from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) causing the death of a man in Delta State. These protests resulted in the dissolution of SARS and demands for police reform. Nigerian police forces have long faced criticism for their aggressive tactics and lack of accountability. In recent years, there have been demands for reform and increased oversight of law enforcement agencies. However, progress has been sluggish, leaving countless Nigerians living in constant fear of police brutality and extrajudicial killings.

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