Tricycle operator bags 10 years jail term for killing colleague

A Lagos High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square has sentenced a 42-year-old tricycle operator, Godswill Akpan, to 10 years in prison for killing his colleague, 30-year-old Baba Ali Bukar, during a dispute over queueing rights.

Justice Yetunde Adesanya convicted Akpan of involuntary manslaughter, ruling that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that his actions caused Bukar’s death.

Akpan was arraigned on October 18, 2021, on a one-count charge filed in December 2019.

Prosecutors said he struck Bukar in the chest with a stone during an argument on June 1, 2019, near the Eko Hotel Roundabout in Victoria Island, Lagos. Bukar later collapsed and died in hospital.

The offence violates Section 225 and is punishable under Section 299 of the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2015.

Although Akpan pleaded not guilty, the court found inconsistencies between his testimony and his initial statement.

The prosecution relied on one witness and an exhibit, while the defence called no additional witnesses.

Testimony also revealed that no autopsy was conducted because the deceased’s family objected on religious grounds.

Akpan told the court the fight began after Bukar accused him of violating the tricycle queue system by picking up a passenger.

He claimed he acted in self-defence when Bukar attempted to strike him with a stone.

Justice Adesanya rejected his account, holding that the circumstantial evidence firmly established his role in Bukar’s death.

After the defence asked for leniency, citing Akpan’s remorse and status as a first offender, the court imposed a 10-year custodial sentence.