“And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him; Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again. And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death.” — Leveticus 24: 19-21.

It has been 10 months since a policeman darkened Christmas for relatives and friends of Bolanle Raheem, a Lagos-based lawyer.

On the fateful Sunday in December 2022, Drambi Vandi, an assistant superintendent of police, expended two of the 25 bullets in his gun and ultimately ensured Raheem would never grow older than 41.

Vandi seemed to instantly regret his decision, and literally went crying to his superiors at the Ajiwe Police Division in the Ajah area of Lagos State, but as soon as his trial began on January 16, 2023, he and Adetokumbo Odutola, his lawyer, began telling a different tale.

ASP Vandi

Their story was that Vandi’s gun was too powerful to leave a bullet lodged in Raheem. They told the court that if he had shot her, the bullet would have torn through her vehicle, flesh and up to three more vehicles before coming to a halt.

On October 9, 2023, Justice Ibironke Harrison of the Lagos High Court said she did not buy Vandi’s account of events, and sentenced him to death by hanging.

What Harrison’s verdict means is that the state has condemned Vandi to death, but her gavel does not nail the ex-policeman’s coffin just yet. To actually enforce this judgement, the number one citizen of the state has to append his signature to the convict’s death warrant. As of October 9, that citizen was Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

WILL THE GOVERNOR SIGN IT?

Babajide Sanwo-Olu

Whether the governor would sign the document that puts paid to Vandi’s life is anyone’s guess at the moment.

In the interim, Vandi would be on death row, awaiting a signature, but going by history, he may wait quite a while.

In Nigeria, governors seldom sign death warrants, and this means convicts who get the sentence often join inmates on life sentences to live out their days in prison.

When we look at the numbers, we may have some semblance of answers.

As of July 2022, Nigeria’s death row inmate count stood at a staggering 3,145. This means that 36 governors were yet to sign an average of 87 death warrants each. The reluctance of governors to sign them has contributed to Nigeria’s growing prison congestion problem.

When Umar Ganduje was Kano State Governor, he argued in 2021 that governors did not trust the judicial process enough, and were scared of signing warrants only to discover later that the convict was innocent.

To put this reluctance into perspective, only two governors have signed death warrants in Nigeria since the fourth republic began in 1999. Ibrahim Shekarau did so in 2006 while he was Kano State Governor, and Adams Oshiomhole did same in 2012 as Edo State Governor.

Shekarau signed the warrants of seven inmates, while Oshiomhole signed those of two.

This means that in 24 years, only nine convicts have actually died following a death sentence, and no governor has hit 10 percent of the average 87 per state. For more context, no Lagos governor has ever signed a death warrant, and while the average is 87, as of August 2022, Lagos actually had a recorded figure of 353 death row inmates.

If that number remained unchanged until October 9, 2023, it would mean it now stands at 354.

WHERE HAVE WE SEEN THIS BEFORE?

Reverend King

It is difficult to find a more popular death row inmate than Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, popularly known as Reverend King.

The man gained notoriety for sexually assaulting, burning and killing his female church members in the early 2000s.

King committed the atrocities while serving as General Overseer of Christian Praying Assembly in Lagos State, but in 2006, a Lagos judge ordered his execution.

While serving 17 years in prison so far, King has survived four Lagos Governors, and his church members continue to clamour for his release.

Like King, Bolanle Raheem was a Christian, and on the day her life was forcefully taken from her, she was returning from church.

Her holy book says in Leveticus 24: 21 that “… he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death,” but history says Sanwo-Olu may prefer that he that killeth a (wo)man become another reverend King.

https://fij.ng/article/sanwo-olu-may-not-let-drambi-vandi-die-for-killing-bolanle-raheem-heres-why/?fbclid=IwAR0TkSnJ8qVpmm_xMGctoiQ6JGIkaoRh_sWMEUjAcydj5Sw82EklvEIZbi4

Previous Thread:
https://www.nairaland.com/7870595/asp-vandi-police-officer-shot

I don’t even know which is better. Death or a lifetime of imprisonment. But how on earth are there people clamoring for the release of Rev King? How?!

Na demdem.

He should be hanged immediately!!!

abeg make e die for others to learn

Deep down here we already know

Reading...

DominusPrime:
I don’t even know which is better. Death or a lifetime of imprisonment. But how on earth are there people clamoring for the release of Rev King? How?!

SIXTEENTH:
Deep down here we already know

SIXTEENTH:


Wittywriter✍️ you know how our Nigeria system works so I ain't joking

It is what it is.



Wittyness

Nairaland mods dey para this morning 3 posts in 15 secs

No be Nigeria again??

nice write up anyways

So Reverend King is still alive? He's probably going to die in prison. He is now a forgotten history

They can outsource the signing of death warrants, I personally am perfectly capable of signing 1000 per day give or take 1 week they will all be signed and ready for the noose... The day I taste power hmmmm ( Leopold will be scared of my ruthlessness)

Eheh

Sanwo will not sign it. The man too kind.

If he wishes to sign any death warrant, he should start with that of Reverend King. At least his followers will rest once.

Taylor92:
If the said deceased lawyer was Sanwo Olus relative he for let am live?


To 99% of Nigerians who doesn’t have a family at the top


May God be our Oga at the top


God will punish you people

It has nothing to do with family at the top, it's a simple case of nobody wants to sign a death warrant. When I heard the news yesterday that was what crossed my mind.

Ok Nigeria Govt no dey sign death warrant...


All this sef dey mak prison choke...

Alright

Meaning Sam Larry, naira Marley and Co sef go still queue for his signature?

But he has to die..

We should actually change that Law that says a Govornor should be the one to give the final go ahead


Actually, as long as you have exhausted your appeals to the latter which is going as far as the supreme court. They shouldn't wait for any Govornor again as Democratic Govornors tend to shy away from it. Na Military Govornors no send

Anyways,if na me be Govornor o. I for don give the go ahead for some very terrible cases. I won't care. If a Reverend King type of situation comes up,omo I go give the go ahead.

As for those saying the Death sentence is wrong,stop playing. If you kill person,they should also kill you back too ni

No time!

I will tell you for free that life imprisonment especially in a Nigerian prison is worse than the death sentence.
He will become mentally deranged within a few years inside and he will probably die from poor health care.
Personally i prefer him in prison for life, death will be him getting off too easy.

Beremx:
So Reverend King is still alive? He's probably going to die in prison. He is now a forgotten history

The man will not die in prison but he will be released and walk a free man in due time, you forgot our justice system in Nigeria

DominusPrime:
I don’t even know which is better. Death or a lifetime of imprisonment. But how on earth are there people clamoring for the release of Rev King? How?!

pastor wen doke assistant pastor wife for area
People still go d church

Hmm. Let's be minding our business oo

wittywriter:







Wittyness

Wittywriter✍️ you know how our Nigeria system works so I ain't joking