Two vandals await sentence for killing 7 DSS operatives
Justice Hakeem Oshodi of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja, Lagos, has delivered a significant verdict in the case involving the killing of seven operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) by two pipeline vandals.
The court found Clement Ododomu and Tiwei Monday guilty of a 10-count charge, including murder and possession of firearms.
Odomodu, the first defendant, was convicted of conspiracy to murder, murder, and possession of firearms with intent to commit a felony. Monday, the second defendant, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and failure to report a felony.
The Lagos State government presented evidence that the duo killed and buried the DSS operatives – Uzor Nwafor, Kayode Oladimeji, Luke Akande, Adebayo Adeniyi, Benjamin Mafo, and Simeon Owolabi – while they were on duty in 2015.
During the trial, Saheed Adetunji, an investigation officer with the DSS, testified that the vandals ambushed and captured seven out of a team of nine personnel sent on a kidnap rescue mission in Abule Oba.
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Adetunji revealed that Ododomu confessed to taking the DSS personnel to their hideout, called Barracks, in the Creeks. He identified Monday as one of the members who used tear gas on the personnel. He also identified two other perpetrators, Godwin Oweli and Prince Sunday.
According to Adetunji’s testimony, Ododomu admitted to shooting two of the DSS personnel with a pump-action rifle, while another person named Agbala shot the remaining five with an AK47.
The bodies were then buried in three separate graves, with three slim operatives placed in one grave and the larger ones placed in the others.
Justice Oshodi, in his judgment, determined that the prosecution had proven parts of the charge against the convicted vandals beyond a reasonable doubt. He also deemed their alibi as an afterthought and not credible.
The judge further stated that their denials of their confessional statements were unconvincing, as the evidence before the court confirmed the voluntary nature of those statements.
The court has postponed the sentencing to November 14, 2023.