An Ikeja High Court was yesterday told that the dismissed police officer, Segun Fabunmi, accused of killing a protester during the January 2012 fuel subsidy protests snatched a gun from his colleague and started shooting indiscriminately.
Fabunmi is facing a seven-count charge of murder, attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm.
The defendant was charged to court for the alleged murder of one Adedamola Daramola and for also inflicting grievous bodily harm on Abubakar and two other protesters – Egbujor Samuel and Chibuzo Udo – by separately shooting at them.
At the resumed hearing of the matter yesterday, the prosecution witness, Kunle Alabi, who was led in evidence by the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, Mrs. Olabisi Ogungbesan, said himself and some other persons were reading newspapers at Yaya Abatan Junction in Agege when policemen arrived in two patrol vehicles.
Testifying before Justice Olabisi Akinlade, Alabi, an engineer, said he had barely walked into his house when he heard sound of gunshots.
He said: "Everybody was running. I ran into my building, stood by the door and was peeping from there."
Alabi said that he saw Fabunmi snatched a gun from a fellow police officer and started shooting indiscriminately. He added that two boys were shot by Fabunmi. Alabi said Ademola Abbey, popularly known as Adedamola Daramola, was also shot.
He said: "The boys around carried them to the hospital and by the time they came back, it was with Ademola's body."
Under cross-examination, Alabi said he saw Fabunmi shoot into the crowd, but could not tell whether it was the defendant's bullet that killed the deceased.
Alimi Abubakar, the prosecution's second witness, said he was at the vendor's stand when the shooting began. Abubakar said: "After the police officers, who arrived in two vehicles, dispersed the crowd playing football, they began heading towards Yaya Abatan junction."
He said: "One of the police officers shot into the air and then into the ground and subsequently the police officer's gun was snatched by Fabunmi who shot straight at us.
"A bullet hit my leg and I struggled to crawl into a nearby mosque from where I saw Fabunmi pursuing some people into Abeokuta Street, a few metres away."
He added that when Fabunmi got to Abeokuta Street, he shot again.
Justice Akinlade, however, adjourned the matter till October 25 and November 21.
