Nigeria Content Online

A Lagos High Court,
on Monday, discharged and acquitted Lucky Igbinovia and Effong Elemi
Edu, standing trial over the 1995 murder of Pa Alfred Rewane, human
rights activist and a leader of National Democratic Coalition, after 15
years in jail.

Olusola Williams,
the presiding judge, held that the prosecution failed to prove its case
against the two accused persons beyond reasonable doubt. The court held
that the only evidence the prosecution relied on were the statements
allegedly made by the accused persons which the accused said they made
under duress.

The court added
that it was clear that the prosecution had nothing to support their
case as there was no evidence to support the charges levelled against
the two accused persons.

“I wonder what the
overwhelming evidence the prosecution referred to. The only things that
linked the accused persons to the alleged crime are the statements,
which they have denied. It is quite plain that there was nothing to
support the case of the prosecution. It appears to me that all what the
police did was to visit the scene of the crime and arrested workers of
late Pa Rewane,” said Mr. Williams.

The others

The defence team,
led by Moses Odiri, had earlier filed a no-case submission. However,
the court, in its ruling, only discharged Elvis Irenuma, a co-accused,
and held among others, that evidence by the prosecution could not link
him to the crime. Five other suspects: Sylvester Iyasele, Saturday
Egbeide, Ola Obanuso, Akeem Ali, and Sunday Obanobi had died in prison
custody while awaiting trial.

The accused persons
were arrested and charged for conspiracy and armed robbery. According
to the prosecution, they were accountable for the murder of Mr. Rewane
at his home, 100, Oduduwa Crescent, GRA, Ikeja on October 6, 1995.

One of the
defendants, Effong Elemi-Edu, during cross examination, told the court
that on the day of the incident, he left his house to buy Suya (grilled
meat) for his wife around 8.45pm.

According to him,
as he was about to reach “Mallam’s Sweet Suya Spot”, he heard sporadic
gun shots, and took cover. After the shots ceased, he decided to go
back home but suddenly from the dark, he allegedly heard a voice shout
“stop or I shoot!”

“In confusion, I stopped dead in my track. Then four men in mufti
pounced on me. I was screaming and wondering what would the robbers get
from me other than the N5 note I had budgeted for Suya? They ignored my
protests, rained more blows on me, and shoved me and a few other
persons into their van and drove to a place I later recognised as SARS
(Special Anti-Robbery Squad), at Oba Akinjobi Street, Ikeja,” he said.