A High Court in Lagos on Wednesday sentenced a labourer, Chinedu Alli, to life imprisonment for killing another construction worker during a fight at a construction site at Aja, Lagos.
Delivering judgment, Justice Modupe Nicol-Clay, held that the prosecution had proven its case with the elements of the offence of manslaughter and that strong circumstantial evidence was presented in court.
Finding him guilty of the one-count charge of manslaughter proffered against him, the judge noted that the defendant in his statement to the police had also admitted hitting the deceased on the head with a stick during a fight.
“I have listened to the allocutus of the learned counsel to the defendant, Mr Bashua, it is trite that justice is not only just for the defendant but also for the deceased lying alone in his grave.
“Justice is a double-edged sword where a mandatory sentence is prescribed by the law and in this instant case; the court cannot impose a lesser sentence.
“I hereby sentence the defendant to life imprisonment as provided by Section 227 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State,” the judge said. (Tribune)