A Lagos Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court sitting in Ikeja has sentenced a one-chance driver, Valentino Andrew, to 12 years in prison for theft, conspiracy, and demand by menace.
Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe convicted Valentino on three counts after he entered a plea bargain and pleaded guilty to the amended charges filed by the Lagos State Government. The offences were committed in 2020 while he operated with a one-chance syndicate along the Lekki-Epe to Iyana Oworo axis of Lagos.
Valentino was initially arraigned alongside two others, Michael Idoko and Onwudiwe Tony, on armed robbery charges, to which all three had pleaded not guilty. However, Valentino later opted for a plea deal and was re-arraigned separately.
Before delivering judgment, Justice Abike-Fadipe confirmed that Valentino’s decision to accept the plea bargain was made voluntarily, without coercion or inducement. She emphasized that although plea bargains are lawful, the court is not obligated to accept their terms. Upon reviewing the evidence and Valentino’s admission, she found him guilty on all three counts.
The judge sentenced him to 12 years imprisonment on each count, to run concurrently, and ordered that his sentence be backdated to June 2020, the date of his initial remand. She also directed the correctional service to record his name properly as “Valentino Andrew.”
Prosecution counsel J. Ogunode requested a continuation of trial for the remaining two defendants, which the court adjourned to October 7, 2025.
