Lukman Olabiyi
A prosecution witness, Mr Steven Aji, in the ongoing trial of a dismissed policeman, corporal, Pepple Boma, who allegedly killed a resident at Makoko Waterfront, Timothy Hunpoyanwa has told the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere, that the deceased was shot in the stomach.
The incident occurred on July 21, 2013, at about 1:20 pm, at Makoko Yaba in Lagos.
The prosecution witness who is also the baale (head of community), said that before the incident occurred in the community, he got a 24-hour notice from the state government to vacate the settlement.
Aji was led in evidence by the state prosecutor, Mr Hafeez Owokoniran, before Justice Modupe Nicole-Clay
The witness told the court that after they received the notice, he and his chiefs went to see their lawyer, who advised them not to fight with the state government officials, but should plead for more time to enable them to find another settlement.
But on the day of the incident, he said immediately the government officials and police officers attacked to them, served the community the notice to vacate, they started destroying their houses and their little children fell into the Lagoon and when they made attempt to rescue the children, they were beaten with horsewhip.
Aji said: “They came with different equipment which included an electric saw blade to destroy our community; as they were cutting down the plank houses in the lagoon, our belongs and little children fell in; we ran to rescue our children but they beat us with horsewhip.
“While that was going on, people were calling me and when I got there, I saw eight policemen, who were shooting sporadically and were also beating the people that were trying to rescue the children with horsewhip,” he said.
The witness also said that he saw four policemen each on both side of the lagoon with flying boat, and he then told his chiefs and subjects not to fight with the government officials
Aji, who was the second prosecution witness, also told the court that while they were trying to pacify the officials to give them more time, to enable them to leave the waterfront, he saw the defendant shoot the deceased, Hunpoyanwa in the stomach.
“The deceased started shouting baale my stomach, my stomach, then I saw the deceased in the pool of his blood in the canoe; the other three policemen, who were with the defendant, started blaming him, that they had warned him to stop shooting,
“My subjects wanted to start fighting, then I told them not to fight them; I asked the policemen to transfer the deceased into their canoe, since they had succeeded in shooting him, So we transferred him into their boat and then went to the hospital,” Aji said.
The witness who said that the deceased Hunpoyanwa, was his second-in-command, told Justice Nicole-Clay that before they got to Gbagada General Hospital, some of his subjects and policemen, were already there and by the time they arrived, the doctor confirmed that the deceased was dead on arrival.
Earlier, the deceased’s brother, Francis Hunpoyanwa, who was the first prosecution witness, told the court that he was at home when he heard that his elder brother was shot.
He said: “I was not there when he was shot; I was at home busy removing the roof of our house; it only the baale that can tell the court how he was shot.”
The state government had sometime in 2013, arraigned the defendant, Boma, over alleged manslaughter.
According to the prosecution, the offence committed is contrary to Section 222 of the criminal law of Lagos state 2011.
Further hearing of the case has been adjourned till February 26, for continuation of trial.