Judge adjourns sentencing of fuel subsidy convicts to January 26

Justice Lateefat Okunnu of the Ikeja Division of the Lagos High Court on Wednesday adjourned the sentencing of Walter Wagbatsoma, Adaoha Ugo-Nnadi, and Ontario Oil and Gas till January 26.


The sentencing was initially rescheduled to last Monday after Mrs. Ugo-Nnadi fainted in the dock when the judge who had pronounced their conviction was about to pronounce their sentence.
On Monday, Mrs. Ugo-Nnadi’s lawyer said she was “in a very precarious” health condition at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

In her ruling, the judge said the medical reports from Havana Specialist Hospital and LUTH, where the convict had been taken to, should be accompanied by an affidavit to be sworn to by the medical director and “attending doctor” respectively within 24 hours.

“The commissioner of police in Lagos is hereby directed to keep the second defendant under watch at whichever hospital she is taken to,” Mrs. Okunnu had said.

E.D Onyeke, counsel to the Mrs. Ugo-Nnadi, told the judge on Monday that they had submitted the medical reports and sworn affidavits from the doctors.

He urged the court to give a new date that would enable the doctors have adequate time for his client’s treatment.

“What is not in doubt is that there’s a medical report that says she’s not well,” Mr. Onyeke said.

The convicts were found guilty on eight counts of fuel subsidy fraud last Friday but Mrs. Ugo-Nnadi, the managing director of Ontario Oil and Gas, fainted in the dock just before her sentencing forcing the judge to adjourn.