A Lagos High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square on Tuesday sentenced 42-year-old tricycle operator Godswill Akpan to 10 years in prison for the death of his colleague, 30-year-old Baba Ali Bukar.

Justice Yetunde Adesanya convicted Akpan of involuntary manslaughter, ruling that the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that his actions directly led to Bukar’s death.

The incident occurred on June 1, 2019, near the Eko Hotel Roundabout in Victoria Island, Lagos. According to prosecutors, Akpan struck Bukar in the chest with a stone following a dispute over the tricycle queue system. The altercation began after Bukar accused Akpan of taking a lone passenger who paid N700 to Obalende, leading to a physical fight that ended in tragedy.

Akpan initially pleaded not guilty and testified that he acted in self-defense, claiming Bukar attempted to hit him with a stone first. However, the judge noted inconsistencies in his accounts and ruled that the circumstantial evidence left no doubt about his culpability.

During the trial, it was revealed that no autopsy was conducted on the deceased due to the family’s religious objections. The prosecution presented one witness and one exhibit, while Akpan testified in his own defense without calling additional witnesses.

In allocutus, Akpan’s counsel appealed for leniency, describing him as remorseful, a first-time offender, and the primary provider for his family. Despite this, Justice Adesanya emphasized the severity of the offense and sentenced Akpan to 10 years in custody under the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2015.

“The prosecution has proved its case. The defendant, Godswill Akpan, is hereby found guilty of involuntary manslaughter,” the judge stated.