A Gombe High Court has sentenced a magistrate, Mohammad Suleiman Kumo, to two years and six months in prison after he pleaded guilty to a bribery charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice HH Kereng of the Gombe State High Court delivered the judgment on Monday, 5 May 2026, following Kumo’s change of plea from not guilty to guilty.
The court also ordered him to pay N500,000 in compensation to the EFCC and imposed an alternative fine of N250,000.
Kumo, who served at the Chief Magistrate Court in Pantami, was charged on 3 December 2025 with receiving a N1m bribe on 6 November 2024 through the Zenith Bank account of a court registrar, Adamu Ahmed.
The prosecution said the payment was a monetary benefit accepted in his official capacity, contrary to Section 10(a)(i)(ii) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.
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Kumo’s counsel, Adamu Bawa, argued in December 2025 that as a judicial officer he should be disciplined by the Judicial Service Commission rather than tried in a criminal court.
The EFCC counsel, A Aliyu, countered that a magistrate does not fall under that definition under Section 318(1) of the 1999 Constitution.
Justice Kereng sided with the prosecution in a ruling on 17 February 2026.
Delivering the sentence, Justice Kereng said the offence was serious and that the N500,000 compensation was not excessive given the time and resources spent on the prosecution.
The investigation began after the Gombe State Ministry of Justice received complaints of bribery against Kumo from Abubakar Isa Jauro Kuna and Suleiman Haruna.
He was subsequently charged and convicted.
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