The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the conviction of two staff members of the National Assembly, Mustapha Mohammed and Tijjani Adam Goni, for defrauding job seekers of N4.8 million through a fake employment scheme at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The case followed a petition (ICPC/P/NC/1056/2022) filed by the victims, Saifudeen Yakub and Aminu Abubakar, who alleged that one Mustapha Mohammed, currently at large, claimed he could help secure employment for them at the CBN for N4 million each, with appointment letters to be released in April 2021.
Investigations revealed that the petitioners paid N3 million into a Zenith Bank account belonging to the first defendant and later transferred another N300,000 each to an Access Bank account under the name Badraddin Mohammed for purported medical screening.
In a statement on Wednesday, ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare, said the defendants were arraigned before Justice B.M. Bassi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court No. 55, sitting in Asokoro, Abuja, following thorough investigations by the Commission.
According to prosecuting counsel, Fatima Abdullahi Bardi, the defendants were charged with a five-count offence bordering on advance fee fraud, forgery, and conspiracy to obtain money under false pretence, contrary to the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and the Penal Code.
Counts 2 and 3 accused the defendants of conspiring to forge an employment letter dated June 28, 2021, purportedly issued by the CBN, while Counts 4 and 5 involved a forged employment letter dated June 11, 2021, allegedly from the FIRS.
One of the charges read: “That you, Ibrahim Suleiman Umar (m), and Tijjani Adam Goni (m), on or about June 2021 at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired to forge a letter of employment dated 11th June 2021 purportedly issued by the Federal Inland Revenue Service in favour of one Mustapha Muhammad, and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 363 and punishable under section 364 of the Penal Code.”
Under Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, which allows for plea bargaining, the defendants pleaded guilty to a lesser charge after agreeing to refund the full sum of N4.8 million to the ICPC Recovery Account.
They were subsequently convicted on a one-count amended charge of making false statements, contrary to Section 25 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
Justice Bassi sentenced each of the defendants to pay a fine of N100,000 after they refunded the total amount defrauded to the ICPC.
