Court Finds Man Liable, Fines him N10M for a Murder Police Failed to Prove he Committed

Matilda Omonaiye/

Justice M.S. Hassan of a Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday ruled that a former staff of Epe local government area, Ikuforiji Adewale, was liable for the death of one Idris Salau, who was shot dead by suspected hoodlums during the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primaries in Epe on October 4, 2018.

The judge also awarded the sum of N10 million in favour of deceased’s mother, Olaide Salau, for the brutal killing of her son and 21 percent interest rate on the money until it is fully paid.

The judge found that Ikuforiji was liable “of orchestrating or having a hand in the breach of the fundamental human right to life of the deceased” and ruled that his punishment is to pay monetary compensation to the deceased’s mother.

The applicant had filed the suit, No: FHC/L/CS/219/2019, in her capacity as next of friend to the deceased after police investigation failed to establish a case of murder against Ikuforiji and his alleged accomplices.

Ikuforiji and three accomplices were alleged to have shot dead the deceased in broad daylight in the presence of his mother and two cousins who also sustained gunshot wounds during the incident.

Three of the suspects were arrested by some youths who witnessed the incident and took them to the Epe police station from where they were transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti.

They were subsequently granted administrative bail by the police following which the suspects and their sureties absconded.

Two of them, who were not directly connected with the killing, were later rearrested after lawyers to the deceased’s family petitioned the Commissioner of Police querying why suspects in a murder case with over 50 witnesses would be granted bail by the police.

Eventually, the office of the state’s Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) advised that the two rearrested suspects could not be charged with murder.

According to the DPP, the duplicate file forwarded to the Attorney General’s office by the police was scanty and didn’t contain the statements of the complainant and other witnesses, as well as the alleged murder weapon recovered from the suspects.

It was this development that led the deceased’s mother to filing a civil suit against Ikuforiji, with the judge finding him liable for Idris’ death.

Meanwhile, NewsmakersNG learnt that lawyers to deceased’s family have written a fresh petition to the Commissioner of Police demanding the criminal prosecution of Ikuforiji and his alleged accomplices for the same offence.

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