Court jails civil servant for diverting over N60m via GIFMIS

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Friday secured the conviction of one Lukumanu Waziri, a civil servant and accountant at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto, for corruption and abuse of office.

In a statement released on Sunday, the ICPC revealed that Waziri was found guilty of diverting more than ₦60 million in public funds by unlawfully accessing the Government Integrated Financial Information System (GIFMIS).

Waziri was arraigned in 2021 alongside two others in case number FHC/ICPC/122021 before Justice M. Abdulgafar of the Federal High Court in Sokoto on a nine-count charge of fraud and corruption.

During the trial, ICPC prosecutor Dr. Osuobeni Ekoi Akponimisingha provided evidence showing how Waziri, as a designated GIFMIS user, manipulated financial records to transfer large sums of government money into private accounts.

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One of the charges stated: “That you, LUKUMANU SANI WAZIRI (M), and Monday Michael Adejo (M) sometime in April 2020… conspired to take possession of the sums of ₦6,127,465.75, ₦8,552,824.60, and ₦5,939,666.49… totaling ₦20,619,956.8 from the Government Integrated Financial Information System into the First Bank Account of Monday Michael Adejo… knowing that such funds form part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, namely: corruption and fraud, thereby committing an offence contrary to Sections 18 and 15(1)(d) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended).”

Justice Abdulgafar convicted Waziri on seven of the nine charges against him. He was sentenced on Friday as follows:

One year imprisonment or a ₦200,000 fine each on Counts 1 and 2.
One year imprisonment without the option of a fine on Counts 3, 4, and 5.
Three years imprisonment or a ₦500,000 fine each on Counts 8 and 9.
The sentences are to run concurrently.