Osun Backs Prison Term For Convict Who Stole Aregbesola’s Phone

PHOTO CREDITS: PUNCH NEWSPAPERS
PHOTO CREDITS: PUNCH NEWSPAPERS

Osun State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Wale Afolabi, has justified the 10-year imprisonment of Kelvin Igha-Ighodalo, who was convicted for stealing the phone of Governor Rauf Aregbesola on November 27, 2010.Afolabi, in a statement on Wednesday, accused the media of sensationalising the verdict of an Osogbo High Court on the phone theft.

Information Nigeria recalls that Justice Oyejide Falola had on Monday found Ighodalo (31) guilty of a six-count charge and sentenced him to a total of 45 years jail term but the convict would serve only 10-years as the sentence is to run concurrently.

Afolabi flayed the non-reflection of the concurrency of the term in some reports and insisted that the stories should have reflected the 10-year jail term pronounced by the judge.

Afolabi said, “To say that Ighodalo was sentenced to 45 years prison term for stealing Aregbesola’s phone is not only misleading but unduly sensationalising, unfair to the court and the criminal justice system.

“The learned judge while sentencing Ighodalo exercised his discretion within the limited space allowed by law to sentence him to 10 years term on each of the first three counts instead of 20 years and five years each on the last three counts instead of seven or 14 years.

“This, the court must do with the accused having pleaded guilty and having accepted the facts presented by the prosecution. He is, however, to spend 10 years as the court has pronounced that the prison terms are to run concurrently.”

1 COMMENT

  1. Though i don’t support bad things. Main look at this judgement, am compairing the pension scam who stole billions of naira and was sentenced to two years with an option of #750k. This phone isue of 50k, a hungry man 4 that matter Was sentenced for life, without option of fine. Is horrible my people of nigeria.