A Lagos driver, Sunday Okodo, was sentenced to five years in prison for inflicting grievous bodily harm on a LASTMA officer. Okodo was convicted of reckless driving and assault after attempting to evade arrest by hitting the officer while driving in traffic.
A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has sentenced 38-year-old driver Sunday Okodo to five years in prison for causing grievous bodily harm to a police officer, David Zapania, attached to the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA). The incident occurred when Okodo attempted to evade arrest for driving against traffic, hitting Zapania in the process.
The court convicted Okodo on three of five counts, including causing grievous bodily harm, and acquitted him on the remaining charges. The prosecution highlighted Okodo’s reckless and dangerous driving, assault on the officer, and attempted murder, requesting the maximum sentence as the case was of public interest. Okodo was initially arraigned on November 10, 2021, and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In his defense, Okodo’s lawyer, Boniface Ohemu, asked the court for leniency, emphasizing that this was Okodo's first offense and he had an elderly mother to care for. Before sentencing, Justice Oyindamola Ogala offered Okodo the chance to speak, to which he responded with an apology.
Justice Ogala sentenced Okodo to four years for grievous bodily harm and one year for another offense, with a fine of N20,000 for a third charge. The sentences will run concurrently, with the time spent in custody between February and November 2021 credited toward his sentence.
