Policeman jailed six years for unlawful killing

Justice Sedoten Ogunsanya of a Lagos High court sitting in Ikeja has sentenced a Police Corporal, Abang Okon to six years imprisonment for the unlawful killing of one Olalekan Ajayi.

The judge sentenced him after he pleaded guilty to one count charge filed against him by the State.

Okon was arraigned before Justice Ogunsanya on April 1, 2014, for firing a gunshot that killed Olalekan at the Ladeja area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.

He had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charge, but later agreed to a plea bargain with the prosecution.

When the matter came up for hearing, the prosecution counsel, Mr. Adebayo Haroun told the court that a plea bargain had been reached between the defendant and the state and prayed the court to approve the guilt plea as involuntary manslaughter.

The judge while delivering judgment said: “The defendant having shown remorse for his actions on the 28 August, 2013 along Ladega Junction, Ikorodu, Lagos by negligently firing a bullet at one Olalekan Ajayi, which resulted in his death hereby pleads guilty to the offence of involuntary manslaughter contrary to Section 222 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
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“The defendant is hereby sentenced to six years imprisonment to take effect from the date of his remand in prison custody.”

Justice Ogunsanya, however, turned down a part of the plea bargain, which had recommended that the defendant should serve a six -hour community service in the nature of environmental sanitation as part of punishment for his crime.

She also turned down the part of the bargain that recommended that the defendant should be responsible for paying the school fees of one of the deceased children from primary to secondary school.