Bolanle Raheem killing: Nigerian police officer charged with murder

A Nigerian police officer has been charged with murder over the shooting of a female lawyer in the main city, Lagos, on Christmas Day.

Drambi Vandi is alleged to have shot Bolanle Raheem at close range as she and several family members were driving home from a church service.

Many Nigerians are horrified over the killing of the lawyer, who was pregnant with twins.

The Nigeria Bar Association and human rights groups have demanded justice.

The association’s Lagos branch said it would institute legal action against the police to demand $10m (£8m) in compensation for Ms Raheem’s family.

Mr Vandi was remanded in custody in a magistrates’ court in Lagos on Friday.

He has not commented on the allegations and was not allowed to speak in court.

The Lagos State prosecutor said he should remain in detention to allow the police to continue their investigations – a request accepted by the magistrate.

The officer was suspended from duty on Wednesday.

Her mother was quoted by local media as saying she had worked as a hawker selling oranges so that her daughter could study law.

“She was taken away from me. She was pregnant with twins,” Ms Raheem’s mother said, adding that she had left behind a five-year-old daughter.

Announcing Mr Vandi’s suspension, police chief Usman Alkali Baba said he would not relent in efforts to ensure justice for the lawyer and appealed to the public “to be calm”.

In recent years, there has been increased attention on police brutality in Nigeria.

Nationwide protests, under the banner of the #EndSars movement, led to the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars) being disbanded in 2020.