The suspects in the alleged extrajudicial killing of a Lagos-based lawyer, Bolanle Raheem, will be charged to court soon, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, Moyo Onigbanjo, has said.
He made this known on Tuesday when he visited the victim’s family in the Ajah area of the state, according to a statement by the state Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso.
“We have the permission of Mr Governor to tell you that justice will be done in this matter. The matter will be charged to court as soon as the police send us the case file. I will be leading the prosecution to show the seriousness the government attaches to this matter,” said Onigbanjo, who represented Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Raheem was shot dead on Christmas Day by a trigger-happy Assistant Superintendent of Police, Drambi Vandi, who was attached to Ajiwe Police Station in Ajah. The cop and his team were said to have tried to stop Raheem and her family members as they drove back home from a Christmas Day church service.
Raheem was shot when the car she was in tried to make a U-turn under the Ajah Bridge. The victim was rushed to a hospital but was confirmed dead.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has since said the “killer” of Raheem must be swiftly prosecuted and justice be immediately served.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Baba, who described the incident as unfortunate and sad, ordered a speedy investigation and prosecution of the officers responsible for the ugly and unprofessional act.
The police also said they will carry out a reappraisal of their rules of engagement in a bid to put an end to such ugly incidents.
The killing of Raheem is one of the many incidents of police brutality and extrajudicial killings that have been recorded in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria time after time. A resident of Happy Land Estate in Ajah, Gafaru Buraimoh, was similarly shot dead by a cop from the Ajiwe Police State on December 6, 2022.
Raheem’s killing comes just over two years after police extrajudicial killings sparked a nationwide outrage that culminated in the #EndSARS protests of October 2020 when millions of youths demanded police reforms, compensation for families of victims, and punishment for trigger-happy policemen.
Already, many lawyers and voices of the #EndSARS protests have condemned the killing of Raheem and demanded justice.