Zamfara lawmaker jailed for N31m fraud

A member of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Lawali
Gogonkade, has been sentenced to four years in prison after
pleading guilty to charges of N31m fraud preferred against him by
the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences
Commission.

He was arraigned before a Zamfara State High Court sitting in
Gusau on Thursday on four counts bordering on corrupt
practices.

He was convicted and sentenced by Justice Bello Shinkafi after
pleading guilty to the charges.

Gogonkade, until his conviction by the court, represented the
Kaura-Namoda council area in the state House of Assembly.

A statement by the ICPC spokesperson, Mrs Rasheedat Okoduwa,
said Gogonkade was accused of using his position to confer corrupt
advantage upon himself in a N31m contract meant for the supply of
medical equipment to the state government, stressing that the act
violated sections 10, 12 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other
Related Offences Act, 2000.

The statement said the counsel for the ICPC, Mashkur Salisu,
told the court that the convict received N4.5m from the Managing
Director of Madaci Pharmacy, Mr Hamisu Jibril, as a percentage of
the sum of a contract awarded by the state government for the
supply of medical equipment.

The ICPC said Gogonkade’s counsel, Abubakar Junaidu, had earlier
argued on the propriety of the charge before the court, saying that
the accused had been charged once before the Federal High Court in
Gusau by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, but the
trial judge overruled him and shortly after, the convict entered
into a guilty plea.

“Junaidu then pleaded with the court to be lenient with his
client considering the fact that he was a first time offender with
a large family and dependants, who rely on him solely for their
livelihood. Following his guilty plea, the ICPC counsel invited the
court to convict him in line with the provisions of Section 274 (2)
of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.”

In sentencing Gogonkade to four years in prison, Justice
Shinkafi ruled that he had an option of paying a fine of N30,000 on
each of the counts preferred against him by the ICPC.

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