LAGOS: A’Court Upholds 5-Year Jail Term for Ex-beauty Queen, Ibinabo

Ibinabo Fiberesima

APPEAL Court sitting in Lagos on Friday upheld the judgment of the Lagos State High Court  which sentenced Ibinabo Fiberesima to 5-year jail term over the offence of manslaughter resulting to the death of a medical doctor, Dr. Giwa Suraj along Lekki-Epe Expressway in Lagos in 2006.

The Magistrate Court in Igbosere had earlier placed a fine of N100,000 over the offence but the ruling was subsequently set aside by the state High Court presided over by Justice Deborah Oluwayemi and ordered that the monetary fine be refunded to the culprit and sentenced her to a 5-year jail term without option of fine.

However, the offender proceeded to the Court of Appeal praying for the setting aside of the ruling of the High Court. In an unanimous decision of the appellate court,it affirmed the ruling of the lower court declaring the ruling of the magistrate court as judicial recklessness stating that the fine didn’t serve the purpose of justice in the matter.

Emphatically, the court stated that Section 28 of the Road Traffic Law clearly recommends a penalty of seven years against reckless and dangerous driving leading to a death of a person(s).

In a rejoinder, the defence counsel, Nnaemeka Amaechina had urged the court to set aside the ruling of the lower court arguing that the magistrate court was right as the penalty of N100,000 it adopted against the offender was in line with its jurisdiction.

In dismissing the appeal, the three-man panel of the Appeal Court led by Justice Jamilu Tukuh said that the appeal lacked merit and affirmed the ruling of the lower court. Other members of the panel were Justices U.I.Ndukwe-Anyanwu and Tijani Abubakar.

According to Amaechina, her client has instructed him to immediately proceed to the apex court to seek for the setting aside of the previous two judicial decisions.