The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned the Chief bailiff of High Court of Justice, Gombe State, Usman Zakari before Justice Haruna .H. Kereng of the Gombe State High Court 3, Gombe, Gombe State.
Zakari was arraigned on July 2 ,2025, on a one-count charge bordering on fraudulent conversion by the Gombe Zonal Directorate of the EFCC.
The charge reads: “That you Usman Zakari sometimes in October, 2023 at Gombe, Gombe State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being the Chief Bailiff of the High Court of Justice, Gombe State, entrusted with the auctioning of property subject of judgment enforcement in suit No. GM/329M/2023 which was auctioned in the sum of N14,000,000.00 (Fourteen Million Naira) and upon settling of the judgment debtor in favour of the judgment creditor (Ahmed Umaru) in the sum of N4,180,000.00 (Four Million, One Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira) and thereafter dishonestly converted the sum of N9,820,000.00 (Nine Million, Eight Hundred and Twenty Thousand Naira) being the remaining balance from the auction which was meant to be remitted to the judgment debtor and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 308 and Section 309 of the Penal Code Law of Northern Nigeria respectively”
Upon arraignment, the defendant pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charge prompting the prosecution counsel, M. O. Tijani to ask for a trial date and to remand the defendant in Gombe Correctional Centre. However, counsel to the defendant, Yusuf A.Aliyu, moved a motion for bail of his client.
Justice Kereng, having listened to both counsels, granted the defendant bail on self recognisance being a staff of the court and adjourned the case to July 30, 2025, for trial.
