King Sunny Ade’s ex-guitarist gets 3 years for drug trafficking

Justice S. Seidu of the Federal High Court Lagos, on Tuesday, sentenced a veteran guitarist, Fatoke Abiodun, to three years imprisonment for drug trafficking.
The convict pleaded guilty to one count charge of unlawful exportation of 1.575kg of cocaine on February 26, 2013 while ruling was reserved till May.  The defence counsel, Mr Bayo Onifade, had pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy since the convict was 62 years old, a husband of three wives with 12 children.
In his ruling, Justice Seidu sentenced the convict to 3 years imprisonment with effect from the date of arrest. He noted that the appeal of the defence counsel and the fact that the convict pleaded guilty as charged without wasting the time of the court was carefully considered.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA), Ahmadu Giade, has reiterated his call for stiffer penalty for drug offenders.
According to Giade, “punishment must be commensurate to serve as a deterrent to others. The drug is worth several millions of naira and the damage to humanity cannot be quantified.”
It will be recalled that Fatoke Abiodun was apprehended by operatives of the  NDLEA on January 1, 2013 at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos.
The convict, who played guitar for music star, King Sunny Ade, for over three decades was caught while attempting to board an Air France flight to Italy.
During search, two parcels of cocaine weighing 1.575kg were found industrially hidden in the false bottom of his luggage.
Fatoke reportedly blamed his involvement on financial hardship.
According to Fatoke, “after my primary education, I only did one year in the secondary school before I went into music. I can play any kind of guitar but my music career is a sad story. I played for King Sunny Ade for 30 years before I was unceremoniously retired in 2007. I was unprepared and without severance money, I saw the bitter side of life.”
“This is my first time of involving myself in drug trafficking. I did it out of frustration because at my age I could not provide for my family. I am ashamed of myself.”