Kalu and Solape: Aircraftman who killed girlfriend to be arraigned in court
Ben Kalu, the aircraftman of the Nigerian Air Force who killed his girlfriend, Solape Oladipupo, will be court-marshalled on Friday, new reports reveal.
Kalu had shot Solape, popularly known as Shomzy, on March 12 over cheating allegations. He attempted to kill himself afterwards but was unsuccessful.
Solape was rushed to the NAF Hospital at the base and later transferred to the state hospital, where she died.
She had since been buried in her town in Badagry.
A top NAF source is quoted as saying on Tuesday that Kalu’s prosecution was delayed because he was attached to the Logistics Command, Ikeja, Lagos State, but served in Makurdi.
“The suspect is still in NAF custody. Everything has been going step-by-step. He will be court-martialed on Friday and by next week, he will be handed over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution. He is only serving physically in Makurdi, but his command is in Lagos State. So, the correspondence has taken some time too,” the source said.
The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, also said the court-martial would take place anytime from now.
“We have a procedure in the military and we don’t jump the process. There is a disciplinary committee which goes through investigations, boards of enquiry, summary of evidence and so on,” he said.
“The last stage is the convening of the court-martial. From all indications, we are at that stage now and it will take place between this week and next week. It will take place shortly. The NAF can never sweep the matter under the carpet, because the crime was an embarrassment to the service.”
