baynix: Osun A Dara Ooo

Let’s frame this argument properly and look beyond the party affiliation and person involved. And let’s read beyond the headline. There’s nothing wrong in the judgments passed by a court of competent jurisdiction on Kelvin Ighodalo – the young man who stole the Governor’s phone. The 45 years are to run concurrently. It means he is to spend 10 years in prison. In prison, a day is 12 hours. It further means he is to spend 5 years in prison.

It isn’t about the phone but what he did with it - duped an Oba and the Governor’s friend. This guy was Governor while it lasted! And who steals a governor’s phone in Nigeria, given those mean looking security details around them, if not a criminal. Let’s also not forget that Kelvin has been in prison once in connection with a murder case. So this was another evidence used against him in court.

The phone was stolen in 2010. It means he has spent 3 years behind bar and so has about 2 more years left of his sentence.

Our argument should not be that the judgment was wrong but that there is no equality in our penal system. Yusuf (the pension thief) gets a slap on the wrist and Kelvin does not. How Kelvin and the several Yusufs among us get equality in the eye of the law should be our apprehension. Because one judge refuses to do the right thing does not mean others should.

It’s sad enough that it took three years for him to have his full day in court. For now, how we get mother justice to put back her blind fold should be our collective concern. She has long removed it

the convict used the phone to obtain N500, 000 from the Owa of Ilesa, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, while he obtained N200, 000 from Mr Shengen Rahman, an associate of the governor