Court Of Appeal Upholds Yobe Auditor-General’s Conviction

The Court of Appeal in Gombe has upheld the conviction of the Auditor-General for Local Government in Yobe State, Alhaji Idris Yahaya over financial misappropriation.

Delivering judgment, a three-member panel of justices led by Justice A. A. B. Gumel upheld the conviction of Yahaya and unanimously dismissed the appeal and consequently affirmed the judgment of the trial court.

Online newspapers had reported that Yahaya was convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment by a Yobe State High Court on March 13, 2023 on EFCC charges of misappropriating the sum of N19 million.

Yahaya was said to have received funds from the Office of the Auditor General for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Yobe State, for the purchase of an official vehicle, a 2015 Toyota Corolla, and diverted part of the money to his personal use.

According to the single count, Yahaya was alleged to have between May 20 and 21, 2017 at Damaturu, received the amount into his account number 1001480930 with account name Alhaji Yahaya Idris domiciled in United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) from the Local Government Audit Account Number 5030030060 domiciled in Fidelity Bank Plc.