Court Jails Professional Surety For Aiding Drug Baron To Evade Justice
Justice Nicholas Oweibo of a Lagos Federal High Court, has convicted and sentenced a professional surety, Jude Okpala a.k.a Stephen Ekpanisi, to six months imprisonment, for aiding a drug baron, Okpala Mathew Emmy, to escaped from custody.
The fugitive drug baron, was arraigned before the court in a charge numbered FHC/L/217c/10, on drug related offences by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
During the arraignment of the drug baron, the Convicted Jude Okpala a.k.a Stephen Ekpanisi, stood for him as surety, after he was admitted to bail by the court.
However, during the pendency of the charge, the drug baron became evasive and failed to appear before the court to face his trial.
Consequently, the NDLEA arrested the convicted professional surety and charged him to court on a two count-charge of aiding and abating and in a charges marked FHC/L/123c/2014.
At the hearing of the charge yesterday, the prosecutor, Mr. Nwagu told the court that he has a two count-charge against the the professional surety, and urged the court to permit reading charges to the surety.
After the review of the fact, Nwagwu urged the court to convict the defendant based on his guilty plea and the evidence placed before the court.
Justice Oweibo in his ruling convicted the surety as charged.
Following his conviction, the defendant’s counsel, Chief Benson Ndakara pleaded with the court to have mercy on the convicts, saying the convict is a first time offender who did not waste the time of the court before he pleaded guilty.
Upon the allocutus made by the lawyer, Justice Oweibo in his judgment, sentenced the professional surety, Jude Okpala, to two years imprisonment.
The judge however ordered the convicted surety to pay a fine of N60, 000 in lieu of the jail-term.