A Lagos Special Offences Mobile Court sitting at Oshodi has convicted a socialite, Ms. Ogbulu Pearl, for distributing Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, as a souvenir at a party.
The defendant had been charged with distributing PMS as a memento during her installation reception on March 5 and was arraigned on March 14.
The offenses are in violation of sections 251(1), 168 (1), and 244 of the Lagos State Criminal Law of 2015, as well as Section 195 (2)(b) of the Lagos State Environmental Management Protection Law of 2017.
On the first count of the accusation, Chief Magistrate Kehinde Ogundare sentenced the defendant to three months in jail or a N15,000 fine after she altered her plea from "not guilty" to "guilty."
On the second and third counts of the indictment, the court additionally ordered the defendant to pay a N1 million fine or spend two years in jail.
Magistrate Ogundare ruled that the prosecution had effectively shown the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and thus convicted and sentenced her.