By Osagie Alonge
The Nigerian Entertainment industry has been gripped by the case of Rabi Ismail, the actress who has reportedly been sentenced to death by the Court of Appeal for killing a male friend.
Justice of the Supreme Court Francis Tabai, who delivered the lead judgment, held that the actress was charged with culpable homicide of the deceased by drugging Ibrahim with a sweet, before drowning him in a dam in Kano in 2002. According to the prosecutor, the offence is contrary to section 221(b) of the Penal Code.
As reported by BBC News, Ismail who was not present in the court but represented by her lawyer, Mr. Taiwo Taiwo when the ruling was made is a very popular actress mostly known for Hausa role in the Kano filmed industry known as Kannywood (Hausa-language version of Nollywood).
Speaking with veteran Nollywood actor and President of the Actor’s Guild of Nigeria (AGN) Segun Arinze with Nigerian Entertainment Today (NET) in a telephone conversation, he said ‘what can one say, she has been found guilty. However i would have loved to see a committal to life, a life imprisonment sentence and not death“. “The deed has been done“, he said.
Speaking on whether Rabi Ismail reached out to the AGN, Arinze said ‘Don’t forget the case has been going on since 2002, but she did not at any point reach out to us‘.
13 comments
dey should leave her,nd nt sentencing her 2 dealth.in u s dey dnt kill like dat rada dey wil give u a warning.nd keep u in de prison 4 some years.nt dealth
i dont knw what to say, but life sentence would have been better.
A life sentence would have been better.I wish an intervention is to made.Sorry my dear and may the good lord have mercy
May almighty allah grants u with aljanna firdausi
Well! It has happened, it is happened.Life imprisoment would have been far better…
life sentence would av ben beta
But as an actress, she is meant to be a role model for society. She is, compared to her fellow country people, also quite well off. I’m not a fan of the death sentence, but a lot of times, examples have to be made. And from the story, it seems the murder was highly premeditated, this was not involuntary manslaughter. Poisoning, then drowning. Unless this is a case of innocent being found guilty, (because the Nigerian justice system is a misnomer in the first place) she does deserve the worst penalty possible.
am startled but death penelty should not be the ultimate. i oray that the decision would be commutted to life sentence.
what goes around comes around
Here, the Gov’t is going to loose resources, because she is a resource to the nation, what can be done in front of the court of law is to be punish with life sentence prison while having access to pass the skills she has to another generation.
GOD KNOWS D BEST.MAY BE HER ESCAPE IS DIVINE INTERVENTION.
GOD KNOWS D BEST.MAY BE HER ESCAPE WAS DIVINE INTERVENTION.
DIS EARTH IS SO CRUEL,LET RAPTURE COME GOD.