Court sentences one-chance driver to 12 years imprisonment

A Lagos Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court docket sitting in Ikeja has convicted and sentenced a one-chance driver, Valentino Andrew, to 12 years imprisonment for theft and conspiracy.

He committed the offence sometime in 2020 while working a one-chance syndicate alongside the Lekki-Epe to Iyana Oworo hall of Lagos Deliver.

Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe discovered him guilty of the prices after he pleaded guilty to the three counts within the amended price filed against him by the Deliver executive.

Valentino entered a plea cut price settlement with the prosecution and was subsequently re-arraigned on an amended three-count price.

His offences own theft, conspiracy to commit a criminal, and search files from by threat.

He was within the commence arraigned alongside two others, Michael Idoko and Onwudiwe Tony, prior to Justice Abike-Fadipe on prices bordering on armed theft.

The trio had pleaded no longer guilty at some stage in their initial arraignment.

On the opposite hand, Valentino later opted for a plea cut price and was re-arraigned on the amended prices, to which he pleaded guilty.

In her ruling, Justice Abike-Fadipe wondered the defendant to substantiate whether or no longer his decision to enter the plea cut price was made below duress, chance, or inducement. Valentino answered negatively, asserting that he acted voluntarily.

The judge famend that while plea bargains are recognised below the law, the court docket is no longer any longer run to accept the phrases of such agreements. On the opposite hand, having reviewed the info and the defendant’s admission, the court docket discovered him guilty on all three counts.

Justice Abike-Fadipe sentenced Valentino to 12 years imprisonment on every of the three counts, to bustle concurrently. She ordered that the sentence commence from June 2020, the date of his initial remand.

The court docket also directed that the convict’s title be successfully recorded on the correctional centre as “Valentino Andrew,” consistent alongside with his friendly identification.

Following the conclusion of Valentino’s case, the prosecution counsel, J. Ogunode, requested the continuation of trial for the final two defendants.

The court docket subsequently adjourned their case to October 7, 2025, for trial continuation.