National Assembly staff sentenced for defrauding victims of N4.8m

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has successfully secured the conviction of two National Assembly officials, Mustapha Mohammed and Tijjani Goni, for their involvement in a ₦4.8 million job scam.

Justice B.M. Bassi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, found the duo guilty of defrauding two victims by falsely promising them employment at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

In a statement issued on Wednesday, ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare, explained that the case stemmed from a petition filed by the victims, identified as Saifudeen Yakub and Aminu Abubakar.

“ The petition detailed how the defendants, in collaboration with another suspect currently at large, collected N4.8m to facilitate fake job offers.

“Investigations revealed that Mustapha Mohammed introduced himself as a National Assembly staff member with close connections at the CBN and FIRS. He demanded N4m each from the complainants, assuring them that their appointment letters would be released by April 27, 2021.

“The petitioners later deposited N3m into a Zenith Bank account belonging to one of the defendants and were subsequently asked to pay an additional N300,000 each for purported medical screening, which was paid into another Access Bank account,” the statement read in part.

Following investigations, the ICPC arraigned the suspects on five counts, bordering on conspiracy, forgery, and obtaining money under false pretence, contrary to the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and the Penal Code.

The prosecution counsel, Fatima Bardi, told the court that the defendants forged employment letters purportedly issued by the CBN and FIRS to deceive their victims.

However, under Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, which allows plea bargaining, the defendants pleaded guilty to an amended one count of making false statements, contrary to Section 25 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

As part of the plea agreement, they refunded the entire N4.8m to the ICPC Recovery Account and were each fined N100,000.

The ICPC reaffirmed its commitment to promoting accountability and integrity in public service and warned Nigerians to be cautious of fraudulent job offers, urging them to verify such claims through official channels.