Justices H.H. Kereng and Abdulhamid Yakubu of the Gombe State High Court 2 and 3 sitting in Gombe, Gombe State, on August 5, 2025 convicted and sentenced six men to various jail terms for fraud.
The convicts, Maigari Abba, Joseph Samuel Bulus, Kasheaure Joseph, Emmanuel Dilibe, Livite Ibrahim and Awolowo Martins, were separately arraigned on one -count charge bordering on breach of trust, cheating and impersonation by the Gombe Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The charge against Joseph Samuel Bulus reads: “That you, Joseph Samuel Bulus, sometimes between 2024 and 2025, at Gombe, Gombe state, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, dishonestly impersonate one Peter Elis, by pretending to be a former Kings Guard in the UK, creating and operating fake Facebook and TikTok accounts and luring unsuspecting individuals to deliver money to you (mostly via gift cards) and in the process gained to your advantage the sum of $1,500 (One thousand Five Hundred Dollars) and thereby committed an offence contrary to 321 and punishable under Section 324 of the Penal Code Law.”
Upon arraignment, the defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges, prompting prosecution counsel, S.E. Okemini and A.B. Kware, to urge the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.
However, counsel to the defendants pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.
Justice Kereng, having listened to both prosecution and defence counsel, convicted and sentenced Abba to six months imprisonment with an option of N60,000 as fine and Martins bagged six months imprisonment or a fine of N50,000.
Justice Yakubu convicted and sentenced Bulus, Joseph, Dilibe and Ibrahim to 24 months imprisonment each or a fine of N50,000 each.
The courts also ruled that the aggregate sum of N2,800,000 recovered during investigation and being proceeds of crime be used to restitute the victims of crime.
Furthermore, the courts ordered that the convicts forfeit one laptop computer and five mobile phones recovered at the point of arrest and being instruments of crime to the Federal Government.
The convicts’ journey to prison began when the Commission received intelligence regarding their nefarious activities.
