Former Minister, Sarah Ochekpe Jailed

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Gombe Zonal Command, on Tuesday, February 22, 2022, secured the conviction of a former Minister of Water Resources in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Sarah Ochekpe and two others, Evan Leo Sunday Jitong and Raymond Dabo, deputy director for Goodluck/Sambo 2015 election campaign and former Acting Chairman of PDP, Plateau State respectively.

Ochekpe was Nigeria’s water resources minister in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

She was arraigned alongside two co-accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2018 for allegedly collecting N450 million from Diezani Alison-Madueke, former petroleum resources minister, in 2015.

Raymond Dabo, former acting PDP chairman in Plateau, and Leo Jatau, coordinator of the Goodluck Johnathan campaign in the state in 2015, are the two other accused persons.

The accused persons were tried on charges bordering on conspiracy and money laundering.

They were alleged to have received N450million from Alison-Madueke to influence the electorate and the outcome of the 2015 presidential election.

According to the EFCC, investigations showed that after receiving the money, the headquarters of Fidelity Bank Plc used its state branches to distribute the election loot to different individuals.

In a judgment delivered on Tuesday, Musa Kurna, the presiding judge, found the accused persons guilty and sentenced them to three months in prison.

However, the sentence has an option of N1 million fine.