EFCC secures court’s conviction of election offender

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday secured the conviction of an electoral officer in Gombe State High Court on charges of bribery during the 2023 governorship and house of assembly election.

EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, in a statement indicated that Justice Abdulhamid Yakubu of Gombe State High Court II, sitting in Gombe, on Monday convicted and sentenced Khadijah Ibrahim Boss to four months imprisonment for bribery during the 2023 Governorship and House of Assembly election in Gombe State.

According to the EFCC spokesperson, Khadijah Ibrahim was jailed on Monday after facing trial on two- count charges bordering on bribery during Governorship and State House of Assembly Election.

The charge reads; “That you Khadijah Ibrahim Boss on or about 18th March, 2023 in Gombe within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court did canvass for votes using bundles of fabrics within 300 metres of a polling unit during the Governorship and State House of Assembly Election and you thereby committed and offence contrary to Section 126 (1)(a), of the Electoral Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 121 (3), of the same Act”.

EFCC counsel, Abubakar Aliyu, presented facts of the case before the court, pointing out that the case was peculiar and first of its kind in the Gombe Zonal Command.

Justice Yakubu convicted and sentenced Boss to three months imprisonment or with an option of N30,000 ( Thirty Thousand Naira only) fine on count one and one month imprisonment on count two or an option of N10,000( Ten Thousand Naira) as a fine. The sentence is to run concurrently.

The court acknowledged and commended the Gombe Zonal Command and expressed hope that the conviction will bring sanity to the electoral processes.