A former Chairman of Hong Local Government Council in Adamawa State, Ibrahim Baba Gayius, has been convicted and sentenced to 70 years imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Yola for fraud.
The report of the former local government boss’s conviction emanated from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
According to the report, on October 6, 2016, Justice B. B. Aliyu of the Federal High Court, Yola convicted Gayius.
Convicted alongside the LG boss was the Chief Accounting Officer of the local government.
They were convicted on a 10 count charge bordering on conspiracy, embezzlementm diversion of public funds, fraud and abuse of office.
The duo reportedly embezzled funds to the tune of N41.1 million.
Gayius was earlier arraigned on March 2015 before Justice Aliyu for the alleged collection of N50 million agric loan on behalf of the members of staff of the council.
However, he instead gave out less than N10 million to them and diverted the remaining amount for his personal use.
One of the charges reads: “That you Ibrahim Buba Gayius, being the former chairman, and chief accounting officer of Hong local government council Adamawa State, and in such capacity sometimes between December 2009 and January 2010 in Hong local government council Adamawa State, within the jurisdiction of this Court, Federal High Court of Nigeria, did transfer and spend nineteen million naira (N19m) funds made of agric loan for the local government staff to another unapproved project of drilling machine and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 22 (4) of the corrupt practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.”
Justice Aliyu, after the consideration of the weight of the offence, convicted and sentenced the convict.
Gayius is to serve 10 years on each of the 10 count charge.
The sentence is to run concurrently.
The prosecution counsel, Israel Akande, prayed the Court for the convict to restitute the money back to the council.
The Court granted and ordered.
It ordered Gayius to return N38.42 million back to Hong Local Government Council.
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