General News | 18 August 2007 01:43 CET

BREAKING NEWS: NOLLYWOOD STAR, IBINABO JAILED FOR MANSLAUGHTER

Nollywood actress, Miss Ibinabo Fiberesima was yesterday convicted of murder and sentenced to seven years imprisonment by the Igbosere division of the Lagos Magistrate Court.

The presiding magistrate, Mr. A.O. Isaac however gave her an option to pay N100,000 fine, which NFC gathered she did yesterday.

Fiberesima was last year arraigned on a one-count charge of man slaughter which she pleaded not guilty.

She was alleged to have killed a male medical doctor identified as Suraju Giwa while driving carelessly and under the influence of alcohol along Lekki/Epe Expressway in Lagos, last year.

Ibinabo was said to have been seriously drunk while driving the vehicle ( a jeep) belonging to her erstwhile lover, Daniel Wilson, in which she was with some other girls.

Confirmed sources said the deceased's family members had last year dragged her to court, following her non-challant attitude to the issue.

Though the actress pleaded not guilty, the prosecution called five witnesses during the trial to prove its case, and all the five who, included two eye witnesses, gave detailed account of how the offence was committed, to the court.

The magistrate thus held he was totally convinced that the actress committed the offence, having looked at the circumstances surrounding the matter as well as the account of the prosecution witnesses.

He found her guilty as charged and convicted her, accordingly.

Though, she had, after making few telephone contacts, raised the N100,000 fine, the fact now remains that Ibinabo Fiberesima is a convict.

When contacted by our reporter, the convict admitted having raised and paid the fine, but on further enquiry about her trial, she banged the phone on us.

By her conviction, Nollywood now records its third stars convicted in just six months.

NFC recalls that a popular Yoruba film actress, Mrs Yetunde Taiwo Akinwande was convicted for drug trafficking in February this year, while just two weeks ago, James Oduputa was also convicted for hard drug and sentenced to eight month imprisonment, without an option of fine.

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