The Lagos State High Court, on Wednesday, has sentenced the Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Boundary/Ayetoro unit in Lagos, Saheed Arogundade, to death by hanging for killing a police officer.
Justice Olabisi Akinlade convicted Arogundade after finding him guilty of conspiracy and murder of the officer, Gbenga Oladipupo. Saheed was charged alongside five others on two counts of conspiracy and murder.
The other defendants were Mustapha Layeni, Adebayo Abdullahi, Seyi Pabiekun, Sikiru Rufai and Yusuf Arogundade.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the deceased was killed on April 10, 2010, around 8 am at the Gbara junction in the Ayetoro area of Ajegunle, Lagos.
It was gathered that the deceased was stabbed to death by Saheed and his cohorts while on his way to visit his mother on Olayinka Street in the Ayetoro area. Punch correspondent learnt that the convict and his accomplices killed the deceased for encouraging the operation of tricycles in the area, which the convict noted would reduce the income of the NURTW unit.
During a trial, the second prosecution witness, Ismaila Lukman, who was the motorcycle rider conveying Oladipupo at the time of the murder, gave a vivid account of the incident before the court.
He had said, “The deceased had called me for a ride to his mother’s house when four men approached us and dragged him down.
“One of them, Saheed, brought out a knife and stabbed him in the back. I ran off to seek help from other motorcyclists, but when I returned, I saw the other three men hitting the deceased with their fists.
“I couldn’t see the faces of the other men clearly because I was gazing at Saheed, who stabbed the victim. When I got close to the deceased, I realised that he had been badly stabbed all over his body and was bleeding profusely.”
While convicting Saheed, Justice Akinlade held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that he killed the officer. “I hereby pronounce the sentence of the court upon you, Saheed Arogundade, that you will be hanged in the neck until you are dead.
