The Federal High Court in Lagos handed a two-year prison sentence to Jude Okpala, a professional surety who assisted drug baron Okpala Mathew Emmy in escaping from custody.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) brought the fugitive drug baron, charged as FHC/L/217c/10, before the court. Initially, Ekpanisi, the convict, acted as a surety for Emmy after the court granted him bail.
However, Emmy evaded trial, failing to appear in court as required. Consequently, the NDLEA arrested the professional surety, charging him with two counts of aiding and abetting in the matter marked FHC/L/123c/2014.
During the hearing on Thursday, the prosecutor presented two charges against the professional surety, requesting the court to read them.
Reviewing the case’s facts, the prosecutor urged the court to convict the defendant based on his guilty plea and the evidence presented.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo ruled in favor of convicting the surety as charged. Despite the convict’s counsel, Benson Ndakara, pleading for leniency due to Okpala being a first-time offender and pleading guilty promptly, the court sentenced the professional surety to two years behind bars.
However, the judge offered an alternative, ordering Okpala to pay a fine of N60,000 in lieu of the prison term.