Justice Mu’azu Abubakar of the Bauchi Division of the Federal High Court has actually founded guilty and sentenced 2 former accounts officials of Bauchi State Government to jail for financial misappropriation.

The two convicts, Kawu Chindo, a former Chief Accountant of Bauchi State Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board and Ali Baba of the Office of the Accountant-General of the State, were dragged before the court by Gombe Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The Bauchi State Ministry of Finance and Economic Development had actually alleged that both Chindo and Baba printed and issued phony profits invoices to intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for Hajj in 2019.

Following a petition by the state government, EFCC examined and arraigned the two before the court, accusing them of conspiring to proper to themselves public funds to the tune of N73.7 million by diverting the stated amount to personal accounts, consequently dedicating the offence of scams.

The prosecution further implicated the convicts of diverting the money to their individual accounts with the objective of defrauding the state federal government and innocent individuals who paid the cash instead of pay the sum into the accounts of the pilgrims welfare board.

Providing judgment in the case last Wednesday, Justice Abubakar discovered the offenders guilty of the charged filed against them by EFCC.

He, therefore, sentenced Chindo to 7 years imprisonment, while Baba was sentenced to 3 months imprisonment.