Elated, day judge reverted prison sentence to N5,000 fine
Femi Makinde had his LL.B from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria in 1992. He was called to the Nigerian bar in 1993 and subsequently posted to Kano State for his NYSC in 1994. On his return to Ilorin, he was employed by Lambo Akanbi & Co. but resigned his appointment in 1995 to run a one-year course at Theological College. After he completed the programme, he went back to his former principal in 1997 and later to Femi Alemede & Co. in 1998. He established his law firm, Femi Makinde & Co. in 1999. Makinde, in 2011 bagged his Masters from Obafemi Awolowo University and he’s currently undergoing his Ph.D at the University of Ilorin, Kwara state. He however shares his most daunting day in court with our Judiciary Correspondent, KAYODE ADEOTI. Excerpts:
Everyday, in court is full of event, but the particular one I encountered recently has remained my most dramatic. This is how it happened.
There was this case of a man whom I was defending in court, it had to do with criminal issue. During the hearing, we tried our best and we made a no case submission after the close of the prosecution case, but we were overruled. We were asked to enter into our defence which we did.
At the end of it all, the judgement was given and my client was actually convicted. We however made an interlocutory plea.
I remembered I begged the magistrate to consider the age and the future of the accused, I also told him that instead of enforcing prison sentence on him, the law allows for option of fine. There were two charges against him and as God will have it, the court gave a sentence of fine for the two offences, accumulative; N5000 for the two. Incidentally, the man did not have the money at hand not even the father that was in court. I had to pay for him so that he can go home because we have been on the matter for quite a while. To me, I have been praying on the issue so the fine was like an answered prayer.
