A serving magistrate, Mohammed Suleiman Kumo, was charged with three counts of bribery and extortion by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Gombe State High Court Judge H.H. Kereng.
On December 3, 2025, the EFCC’s Gombe Zonal Directorate filed charges against Kumo, a magistrate at the Chief Magistrate Court, Pantami.
According to the charges, Magistrate Kumo received ₦1.4 million in financial advantages through the bank account of Adamu Ahmed, a court registrar.
Section 10(a)(i)(ii) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 is violated by the accused offenses.
In particular, two instances of accepting money are alleged in the charges:
₦1,000,000 was obtained via the Registrar’s Zenith Bank Account (2273938871).
₦400,000 was obtained via the same Registrar’s Zenith Bank Account on or around November 11, 2024.
The anti-graft Act’s referenced clause makes it illegal for anybody to request, accept, or obtain property or benefits for themselves or another person as a result of whatever they have done or will do in the course of performing their official duties.
A seven-year prison sentence is the penalty for breaking this section.
Magistrate Kumo reportedly entered a not guilty plea to each of the three allegations.
Abubakar Aliyu, the prosecutor, sought the court to detain the defendant to the Gombe State Correctional Center and to set a trial date.
Adamu Bawa, the defense attorney, requested bail, but the prosecution objected.
The defendant was granted temporary bail by Judge Kereng.
The judge used Kumo’s prior administrative bail from the EFCC and his voluntary appearance in court from home as justification for the ruling.
In order to make a decision regarding the official bail application and to start the hearing, the court has postponed the case to January 13 and 14, 2026.
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