Police recounts 2007 blast experience in Osogbo court

Officers of the Osun State Police Command on Friday explained before an Osun state High Court sitting in Osogbo how an explosive device suspected to be a bomb exploded at the premises of the State’s Ministry of Water Resources in June 2007.

At the resumed hearing of the case between the State of Osun Government and prime suspect in the matter, Abayomi Akinsanmi, who is standing trial over his alleged involvement in the blast at the government
secretariat seven years ago, a Police sergeant, Elisha Olusegun, said a lifeless human body was found in a 505 Peugeot car that exploded at the premises of water resources ministry.

Testifying further before the court, Olusegun, who said he investigated the matter in June 2007 when it was reported at the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID) of the state’s Police Command, told the court that a tin was also found inside the Peugeot 505 car with some electronic gadgets.

The Seargant also informed the court that the Explosive Ordinance Device (EOD) department of the state police command investigated the matter and carried out analysis on all the items recovered from the vehicle. The state Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the state, Adewale Afolabi, who led other lawyers from the state’s ministry of justice, tendered new evidence to the court, the admittance of which Counsel to the accused person, Wilson Atirene, opposed.

Atirene claimed that it is wrong for the court to admit further evidence against his client, citing section 36 (6B) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
But Afolabi argued that “relevance is the soul of admittance in law,” saying the new items of evidence tendered before the court are relevant to the case.
However, the trial judge, Justice Yinka Aderibigbe ruled that the evidence be admitted as exhibits in the case. He thereafter adjourned the case till 4th April, 2014 for further hearing.