On Thursday, July 4, at Lagos State High Court in ikeja, a commercial driver was sentence to 12 years imprisonment who goes by the name Elijah Shokoya, for killing a Lagos State Traffic Management Agency, (LASTMA) Officer.

He was found guilty of the offence of manslaughter of a LASTMA Officer Olawale Akinmade, and was sentenced by Justice Oyindamola Ogala.

According to the Judge, “The prosecution has established beyond reasonable doubt that the deceased died, that the unlawful acts of Shokoya caused the death of the deceased, and that the acts of the convict which eventually caused the death of the deceased were with the knowledge that injury or grievous bodily harm was the probable consequence.”

Shokoya has been accused by the Lagos State Government of hitting Akinmade with a blue and black Opel bus with the plate number AAA 74 GG, while Akinmade controlling traffic, and then he suffered injuries to his head and body.

The prosecution said that the tragic incident happened at Demurin Street Junction inside Mile 12, and that the offence violated Section 224 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, and is punishable under Section 229.

The incident happened on the 23rd of June,2021, and Shokoya pleaded not guilty on the one-count charge.

Justice Ogala said, “As regards the death of Akinmade Samson Olawale, there seems to be no controversy as to the death of the deceased.

“The testimonies of the first prosecution witness, Aderonke Malik, testified that she saw Shokoya pushing the deceased into the front of his vehicle.

“Her testimony is that she ran there asking Shokoya to stop the car, but he did not, and that the deceased kept on banging the bonnet of the vehicle to stop. She also testified that Shokoya did not stop until he knocked down the deceased.”

“Also, in this case, it is illuminating that the Investigating Police Officer also gave direct evidence of what she saw, heard and investigated. The court, therefore, finds that the evidence cannot be faulted as produced by the defence in this instance.”

“It must be pointed out that proof beyond reasonable doubt is not proof beyond every shadow of doubt. The degree of proof amounting to reasonable doubt need not reach certainty, but it will carry a high degree of probability.

“Once the offence the accused is charged with are proved, that constitutes proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and for him to be entitled to the benefit of the doubt, the doubt must be a genuine and reasonable one arising from some evidence before the court.

“The Honourable Court, therefore, finds Elijah Shokoya guilty of the one count charge of involuntary manslaughter he stands faced with and is accordingly convicted.

“I hereby sentence Shokoya to 12 years imprisonment from the day of judgment,” Justice Ogala announced.