An officer serving at the Juje correctional centre has been docked for four years jail term after founding him guilty of job scam by an Abuja High Court sitting in Gwagwalada.
Contained in a statement signed by a spokesperson of the Independent Corrupt Practice and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) who said the convict, Adamu Abdu, whom was brought before Justice Kutigi after he was caught collecting the sum of N250,000 from each of his six victims promising them that he will secure employment for them at the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Further, the convict signed an undertaking with his victim promising to refund their money if eventually they did not secure the jobs as promised.
ICPC said, “Abdu was charged before the court in 2014 by the ICPC for defrauding one Adamu Abubakar and five others of N250, 000. With the promise of securing an employment for them at the said organisations
Contained in a two counts charge pressed by the ICPC against Abdu, the anti-graft informed the court that the convict being a public officer used his position to lure his victims into giving him money for jobs that never existed.
Therefore, his action is contrary to the provision of section 10(a)(ii) of the Corrupt Practice and other Related Offences Act 2000 punishable under the same section.
Prior to the sentencing, Mr. Abdu who was not represented by a lawyer pleaded with the court being a first time offender to be lenient with him, as well as being the first child of his family with a very large number of dependants.
“Counsel for ICPC, Ngozi Onwuka, in her submission, prayed the court to direct Abdu to make restitution by refunding the money he collected from other victims to them. Justice Kutigi, in his ruling, said that even though the court was mindful of Abdu’s plea for leniency, he was only allowed to apply the dictates of the extant laws upon which he was charged.
The Judge lamented that the crime committed by Abdu had become widespread in the country, adding that the court’s aim was to deter others that may have his kind of mindset from committing crimes. He, therefore, sentenced him to four years imprisonment; two years on each count to run concurrently with no option of fine.”
