Bolanle Raheeem: Court rejects ASP Vandi’s no-case submission in murder trial

A Lagos High Court has dismissed the ‘no case submission’ filed by a suspended Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Drambi Vandi, accused of killing Lagos-based lawyer Bolanle Raheem.

Vandi shot and killed the lawyer on December 25, 2022, while she was returning from Christmas Day church service in the Ajah area of Lagos.

He was subsequently arraigned before the court days after Police Service Commission (PSC) approved his immediate suspension.

At the resumption of the case on Monday, April 3, Justice Ibironke Harrison ordered the defendant to open his defence as a ‘prima facie’ case has been made against him.

Vandi had asked the court to dismiss the case and discharge him, stating that he had no case to answer.

In the no-case submission, Vandi’s lawyer, Adetokunbo Odutola, argued that none of the eyewitnesses saw the defendant fire the gunshot. He added that the ballistic report of the gun allegedly fired stated that the bullet could not be linked with any of the firearms recovered from the police officers at the scene.

Odutola also pointed out that the pathologist who testified mentioned that the bullet penetrated from the left through the armpit, while the prosecution stated that the deceased was shot in the chest.

The prosecution led by Attorney General of Lagos State, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), countered the defence counsel’s arguments and urged the court to order the defendant to defend himself. He insisted that the prosecution had successfully made its case against the cop.

Ruling on the matter, the court dismissed the ‘no case’ submission and ordered the alleged killer cop to defend himself.