Justices H.H. Kereng and Abdulhamid Yakubu of the Gombe State High Courts 2 and 3, sitting in Gombe, have convicted and sentenced six individuals to various prison terms for offences bordering on fraud.
The convicts — Maigari Abba, Joseph Samuel Bulus, Kasheaure Joseph, Emmanuel Dilibe, Livite Ibrahim, and Awolowo Martins — were prosecuted by the Gombe Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on separate one-count charges of breach of trust, cheating, and impersonation.
One of the charges, against Joseph Samuel Bulus, stated:
“That you, Joseph Samuel Bulus, sometime between 2024 and 2025, in Gombe, Gombe State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, dishonestly impersonated one Peter Elis by claiming to be a former King’s Guard in the United Kingdom, creating and operating fake Facebook and TikTok accounts, and luring unsuspecting individuals to deliver money to you, mostly via gift cards. In the process, you fraudulently obtained the sum of $1,500 (One Thousand Five Hundred United States Dollars) for your advantage, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 321 and punishable under Section 324 of the Penal Code Law.”
Upon arraignment, all defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges. Prosecution counsel, S.E. Okemini and A.B. Kware, urged the court to convict and sentence them accordingly. Defence counsel, however, pleaded for leniency.
In his judgment, Justice Kereng sentenced Maigari Abba to six months’ imprisonment or an option of a ₦60,000 fine, while Awolowo Martins received six months’ imprisonment or a ₦50,000 fine.
Justice Yakubu sentenced Joseph Samuel Bulus, Kasheaure Joseph, Emmanuel Dilibe, and Livite Ibrahim to two years’ imprisonment each or an option of a ₦50,000 fine.
The courts further ordered that ₦2.8 million recovered during investigations — being proceeds of the crimes — be used to restitute the victims. Additionally, one laptop and five mobile phones recovered from the convicts at the point of arrest, and used as instruments of crime, were forfeited to the Federal Government.
The convictions followed intelligence reports received by the EFCC on the fraudulent activities of the defendants, which led to their arrest, investigation, and prosecution.
