Alleged Killing: Court Remands Ex- Cop Philips For 30days, Awaits DPP Advice
A Magistrate Court sitting in Yaba, Lagos State has remanded a former Policeman, Sgt Samuel Philipps, for allegedly killing an 18-year-old varsity education seeker, Monsurat Ojuade, in Ijeshatedo axis of Surulere Local Government, Lagos State.
The suspected killer cop has been remanded for 30 days pending when the Lagos State Ministry of Justice through the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) would have provided expert opinion on the case.
The advise is expected to determine whether the case should be transferred to the State High Court which hears charges relating to capital offences within the state or not.
During the court sitting on Friday, the Chief Magistrate, Adeola Adedayo, adjourned the case to next month, October 25, for further hearing on the allegations araised against the law enforcement officer by the deceased family.
Philipps was arraigned and remanded by the court less than 24 hours after the Nigerian Police dismissed the officer deployed to Lagos for law enforcement, following the conclusion of its orderly room trial on his actions perpetrated two weeks ago.
At the hearing, the defendant was represented by his counsel, Doyin Shobiye, while lawyer for the Ojuade Family, Israel Mbaebie, was also present in court and monitored the proceedings.
The counsel to the victim’s family, Mbaebie, urged the court to direct the Nigerian Police to change its statement from stray-bullet to reflect how the 18-year-old was killed.
According to him, the bullet that killed Monsurat Ojuade was not a stray bullet but a case of premeditated murder on the part of the killer police on that fateful day.
The lawyer also frowned at the failure of the police to make public its orderly room trial and the late notice the family received on the arraignment of Philips before the court.
“Our clients frown at this disrespectful and lackadaisical attitude of the police and also wonder how it has been easier for them to organise an orderly room trial of the so called killer police without making public their finding till date and now, arraignment without making public the full identity of the culprit as earlier demanded by our clients.”
