Witness says policeman fired seven shots by mistake

A prosecution witness, Inspector Emmanuel Yahaya , on Monday testified that a policeman, Corporal Abu Abolaji, charged with murder of three men, fired seven gunshots mistakenly.
Yahaya testified at the ongoing trial of Abolaji, 34, who is facing a three-count charge of murder before Justice Ebenezer Adebajo of an Igbosere High Court in Lagos.
According to the witness, he and three other policemen, including the accused, were on patrol when the seven shots were fired.
He said: “On Octobet 1, 2009, I was at the Adekunle Police Station when we received a distress call informing us of a robbery at Alagomeji, after which four of us signed for ammunition and went on patrol.
“When we got there, we saw three men who ran into a car and locked themselves up immediately they saw us.
“I got down from the patrol van with Abolaji and asked him to go and find out why the men ran into the car when they saw us.
“After a while, I started hearing gunshots and I moved to the scene to ask the defendant why he was shooting.
“Immediately I got there, he said it was a mistake and the gun was collected from him by another police officer who later discovered that seven of the bullets had been fired.”
Yahaya told the court that one of the men died instantly, while the other two died on their way to a general hospital in Lagos.
The Counsel to the defendant, Victor Okpala, however, said that Yahaya did not see the defendant fire the shots.
In response, the state Counsel, O.A Akin-Adesomojo, submitted that the witness had said all he knew about the incident.
The judge adjourned the case to October 9, for continuation of trial.
The defendant allegedly committed the offences on October 1, 2009 at 4, Olode Street, Alagomeji. Yaba, Lagos, at 12:30am.
According to the prosecution, Abolaji shot at Messrs Ibrahim Olojede, Rotimi Philips and Friday Uti.
The prosecution said that the offences contravened Section 316 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2003, and attracted death sentence.
The accused had pleaded not guilty to all the three counts.