The death sentence passed on Aircraftman Bernard Kalu by a military court martial has come as a soothing balm for the family of Aircraftwoman Solape Oladupupo, which has been in agony since she was killed by her jealous lover on March 12, this year.
On Tuesday, August 15, the General Court Martial (GCM) sitting at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base in Lagos, sentenced Kalu to death by hanging for the murder of Oladipupo, who was fondly known as Shomzy.
Delivering the judgment, the President of the court, Group Captain Elisha Bindul, found Kalu guilty of six of the eight-count charge including murder, house breaking, impersonation, failure to perform military duty, loss of service property and disobedience to standing orders. H, therefore, sentenced him to death by hanging.
However, the defence counsel expressed dissatisfaction with the judgement, stressing that if the verdict is not reviewed by the Convening Authority, he would approach a higher court to file an appeal.
WhenSunday Suncontacted the father of the deceased, Tolani Oladipupo, he expressed joy over the judgment, stating that the government had given justice to his daughter.
“No appeal can hold. His (Kalu’s) defence counsel described him as the breadwinner of the family and that he should be pardoned. My own daughter too was the breadwinner of the family. That cannot hold any water in the appeal. It is a court-martial and the Airforce cannot compromise their age-long discipline,” he said.
Describing the judgment as a victory, Oladipupo said it goes a long way in relieving the pains of the family, while serving as a deterrent. His words: “As a family, we see that the judgment is good. I was asked to sign a form that my daughter could die in service but this was a case of someone killing her over love issues. It is victory for us, for the Nigerian Air Force and for Nigeria as a whole, even to all other security agencies.”
On a similar note, Jolaade Oladipupo, one of the siblings of Shomzy, posted on her Facebook wall: “God bless the Nigerian Airforce…justice must prevail.”
In a press statement reacting to the judgement, the Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, said: “It would be recalled that ACM Kalu shot and killed ACW Oladipupo Sholape on March 12, 2017 at the NAF Base, Makurdi. The successful conclusion of the GCM is a validation of the NAF’s earlier assurance to the general public that justice would be served to all concerned parties in the matter.”
Back in March, 21-year-old Kalu had fired a number of very fatal shots at Shomzy at close range at the Nigerian Air Force Base, Makurdi, killing her instantly. The tragic killing followed a lovers’ feud between them. It had been reported at the time that Shomzy, who was in romantic relationship with Kalu that had gone sour, was planning to dump him. In a feat of volcanic rage, Kalu was said to have stormed her residence in the barracks in the morning of the fateful day with a loaded automatic rifle issued to him for guard duty the previous night. He pumped hot lead into her, ending the life of the pretty aircraftwoman instantly.
Apart from parents, siblings and other relations, the one person who would miss her the most is the five-year-old daughter she had with another man while in secondary school.
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