Two National Assembly staffers, Mustapha Mohammed and Tijjani Adam Goni, were found guilty of a ₦4.8 million employment scam by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC).
Demola Bakare, an ICPC spokeswoman, stated that the conviction came after victims filed a petition (ICPC/P/NC/1056/2022) accusing the two of collecting money under false pretenses of landing jobs.
It was discovered that two victims, Saifudeen Yakub and Aminu Abubakar, were reportedly scammed by the convicts, working with another suspect who is still at large, by offering them jobs at the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
According to investigations, Mustapha Mohammed claimed to be a National Assembly employee with strong ties to the CBN and FIRS. According to the statement, he promised the complainants that their appointment letters would be given by April 27, 2021, but instead demanded ₦4 million each.
According to reports, the victims deposited ₦3 million into one of the defendants’ Zenith Bank accounts and then paid an extra ₦300,000 each for alleged medical screening into another Access Bank account.
Before Justice B.M. Bassi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court 55, Asokoro, Abuja, the ICPC arraigned the defendants on five counts of conspiracy, forgery, and obtaining money under false pretenses in violation of the Penal Code and the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.
Fatima Abdullahi Bardi, the prosecution’s attorney, told the court that the convicts used fictitious employment letters purportedly from the CBN and FIRS to trick their victims.
However, in violation of Section 25 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, the two chose a modified one-count charge of making false statements under Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, which permits plea bargaining.
The two National Assembly employees entered guilty pleas to the modified charge, and the court found them guilty.
According to the ICPC statement, “they were fined ₦100,000 and refunded the entire ₦4.8 million to the ICPC Recovery Account as part of the plea agreement.”
In order to prevent becoming victims of scammers, the Commission warned Nigerians to confirm all job offers through the appropriate government channels and reiterated its commitment to fostering accountability and integrity in public service.
