IBINABO FIBERESIMA HEADS TO S' COURT AS APPEAL COURT CONFIRMS 5YR SENTENCE FOR MANSLAUGHTER

Ibinabo Fiberesima, President of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) today, 11th March had her appeal dismissed against a five year prison sentence given to her by a Lagos High Court for manslaughter which resulted in the death of Dr. Giwa Suraj.
Ibinabo Fiberesima was sentenced to five years imprisonment by Justice Deborah Oluwayemi for causing the death of Dr. Giwa Suraj through reckless driving along the Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lagos.

Ibinabo through her lawyer, Nnaemeka Amaechina had urged the court to set aside the five year custodial sentence and restore the initial decision of the Magistrate Court which gave her a fine of 100,000 naira.

The Appeal Court today dismissed her appeal and affirmed the 5-yr sentence.

In delivering a unanimous judgement, Justice Jamilu Yammama Tukur held that the Magistrate Court lacked the discretion to give her an option of fine and ruled that the appeal lacked merit.

Other members of the panel were Justice U.I. Ndukwe-Anyanwu (Mrs) and Justice Tijani Abubakar.

An apprehensive Ibinabo who was in court burst out crying as the judgement was delivered.

Speaking on the judgement, Ibinabo's lawyer, Nnaemeka Amaechina said the ruling will be challenged in the Supreme Court and Notice of Appeal has already been filed.

In 2005, Ibinabo was charged to Igbosere Magistrate Court by the then Commissioner of Police, Lagos on a two-count charge of dangerous and reckless driving along Lekki-Epe Expressway which resulted in the death of Dr. Giwa Suraj.

She was awarded a fine of 100,000 naira by a Magistrate Court but Lagos State Government took the case to the High Court which set aside the option of fine and imposed the five year sentence on Ibinabo. The court asked that her 100,000 naira be returned to her.

It was on this premise that Ibinabo filed an appeal in the Appeal Court which was dismissed today.