There are indications that the Lagos State Ministry of Justice may arraign killer cop, ASP Drambi Vandi before a Yaba Chief Magistrate Court today, Friday December 30.
Also, a retired Director at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Nevkaa Richard Chenge recalled an incident that happened in Niger State in the mid 1990s when he prosecuted a police officer that bears striking semblance to ASP Vandi fo shooting to death a Customs Officer at a check point. According to the retired director who now lives in the United States of America (USA), the name of the officer he prosecuted then was Zara Vandi. He suggests that Drambi Vandi and Zara Vandi may the same person.
ASP Vandi is the killer cop who shot pregnant lawyer and Realtor, Bolanle Raheem to death on Christmas day, under the Jubilee bridge, Ajah, Lagos, while she and her family were coming from church service. He was subsequently arrested and detained by the police. He is expected to be arraigned with two other policemen that were with him on the fateful day.
Gavel International sources claims that the killer cop will be arraigned before the Chief Magistrate Court 1 today. The purpose, according to the source is to remand him in a correctional center as he is already on suspension from the Nigerian Police Force.
However, former director, Mr Chenge has called on the authorities to investigate ASP Vandi as he may be the same person that killed a Custom Officer in similar circumstances between 1995 and 1996.
In an interview with a news platform, City Lawyer Magazine, Mr Change recalled the incident thus:
“My name is Nevkaa Richard Chenge. I worked as State Counsel in the Federal Ministry of Justice from 1993 to 2015 when I retired normally at age 60 as a full Director. From 1993 to 1997, I was posted as Assistant Legal Adviser to the (Nigeria) Customs headquarters in Abuja;
What struck me first was the name Drambi VANDI. This is because in about 1995/96 I was detailed by the Legal Adviser Nigeria Customs Service to whom I was Deputy to proceed to Minna, Niger State to take up and prosecute a police officer in Minna by name Zara VANDI who at a Customs check-point in Niger State gunned down without any justification a Customs officer who was on duty at the check-point;
When I arrived in Minna the Customs Controller, Niger State detailed a vehicle that took me to the Police headquarters. The police commissioner sent the IPO who gave me the duplicate case file to study. He brought the suspect to me. His defence was that he thought the Customs men at the check-point were armed robbers. My plan was to obtain a fiat from the State AG to prosecute, since murder is a State offence;
After some time, the police became uncooperative. I could no longer see the IPO not to talk of the witnesses I intended to interview. I therefore asked the police to send the duplicate case file to the State AG while I watch brief for Customs. For a long time nothing happened till I left Customs for another Agency. I was frustrated in my purpose of prosecuting the suspect by the police;
He was a constable at that time and he was in a vehicle coming to Minna. When they arrived at a Customs check-point, he simply got down and shot dead one of the customs officers on duty and calmly walked back and his vehicle drove off. He later claimed in his defence that he thought they were armed robbers. How could there be two different Vandis doing a similar thing. Someone is going to frustrate linking him to his former deeds;
Since the suspect who killed the lawyer is said to be 33 years in Police service, I strongly suspect he is the same person operating with a different first name.
Let us find out if he ever worked in Niger State in the mid-90s. If he did, he must be the one. You know police. They may not have ever sent the file to the State AG or they sent a deliberately watered-down file. In such a case, the AG will have no choice but to advise no prosecution, and that becomes their shield;
I saw the suspect in Minna. It is a very long time now but the suspect I saw on the net could be the same suspect, with the police aiding him to cover his tracks under a different first name. He must have escaped from the case in Minna by some crooked means, assisted by the police;
I am now a Pastor in the House of the Lord but I do not claim to be a prophet. But I can bet all of you that the suspect, if he is the same person, is going to put up the same defence that he thought the lawyer and his wife were armed robbers – similar facts evidence of a man doing the same thing again and again in a peculiar manner.
I therefore would recommend investigation at the Customs headquarters and Police headquarters in Minna what became of the case of Zara Vandi and whether at any time this so-called Drambi Vandi worked in Niger State in his career.
I now live in America with my wife and children and will not rest on my oars until justice is done”.
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