The Federal High Court, sitting in Gombe, Gombe State, has convicted and sentenced two police officers and an immigration officer to seven years imprisonment each for employment fraud, totalling N1,640,000. Justice T.G. Ringing delivered the judgment on Tuesday, November 26, 2024.
The convicted officers include Yusuf AbdulKarim Bature and Musa Philip of the Nigerian Police Force, and Nasiru Mohammed, an officer of the Nigerian Immigration Service.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Gombe Zonal Directorate, prosecuted the trio on charges of obtaining money by pretences.
Bature and Philip were arraigned on two counts for defrauding one Asabe Hamed of N970,000 in 2022, claiming they could secure her a job—a claim later proven false.
Mohammed faced a separate charge for fraudulently obtaining N670,000 from Abdul Rahman Abubakar and Akwalo Adamu under the guise of securing them employment in the Nigerian Immigration Service.
The offences contravened Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and are punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
Upon arraignment, all three defendants pleaded guilty. The prosecution, led by Tortema Joshua, urged the court to impose appropriate penalties.
However, defence counsel Babangida Mohammed and K.K. Jomoh appealed for leniency, citing the defendants’ remorse and status as first-time offenders.
Justice Ringing sentenced each defendant to seven years imprisonment or an option of a N50,000 fine.
The court also ordered restitution of N1,640,000 to the victims and mandated the convicts to sign undertakings for good behaviour.
The case originated in February 2024 when complaints were filed against the officers for collecting the funds under pretences without providing the promised jobs or returning the money.
The judgment brings closure to the victims and serves as a warning against employment fraud.
