Civil servant remanded in prison for lying to court

An Awka Magistrates’ Court in Anambra State on Monday remanded a civil servant in prison custody for lying to the court.

Josiah Ezeife, a member of the staff of Awka South Local Government Area, had told the court that the four accused persons he stood surety for were his tenants.

But upon further interrogation by the magistrate, it was discovered that Ezeife lied to the court in his testimony.

Signing the arrest warrant, Magistrate N. A. Onunkwo said the sentence should serve as deterrent to others that engaged in shady deals.

“I have made it clear since I came here that this court will not condone contempt; in that regard people should behave themselves by saying the truth when asked,” the magistrate said.

In his plea for forgiveness, Ezeife told the court that he was paid N20,000 by the suspects to stand surety for them.

The accused were arrested for parading themselves as officials of the Anambra State Task Force to extort money from motorists.