Gombe court jails one for electoral offence

Glory Ebomah

Justice Abdulhamid Yakubu of the Gombe State High Court II sitting in Gombe has convicted and sentenced Khadijah Ibrahim Boss to four months imprisonment for bribery during the 2023 Governorship and House of Assembly election in Gombe State.

Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Dele Oyewale, in a statement on Tuesday, said Boss was jailed on Monday, December 11, 2023, after facing trial on two counts bordering on bribery during Governorship and State House of Assembly Election.

The charge read: “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 an 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 hoped the conviction would bring sanity to the electoral processes.