Gombe State High Court has convicted and sentenced the duo of Abdulwahab Magaji and Salihu Musa to nine years imprisonment for employment fraud and intent to defraud.
Magaji faced a one-count charge of employment scam while Musa was arraigned on two-count charges of intent to defraud and conspiracy by the Gombe Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The charge against Magaji reads: “That you Abdulwahab Adamu Magaji and Adamu Usman between January and December 2023 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court obtained the aggregate sum of Seven million and eight hundred thousand Naira, N7,800,000, only from one Hajia Hauwa Ali which you claimed was payment for the offer of an employment at the Ministry of Health in Gombe, Gombe State and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 of the Penal Code Law and Punishable under Section 322 of the same Law.”
One of the charges against Musa reads: “That you Salihu Musa sometime in January 2023 at Gombe, Gombe State within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, with intent to defraud, made false documents, to wit: Bank of America ATM card with card No 4658656032040012, Australia New Zealand Bank Debit card, etc, which you knew to be false document and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 362 of the penal code law and punishable under Section 364 of the same law.”
The EFCC in a statement on its official X handle said the defendants pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them, prompting prosecution counsel S.E Okemini to pray the court to convict and sentence them accordingly, while defence counsel, I.S Gadah and U.M Mojaji pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, stating that the defendants were first-time offenders.
Delivering the judgement Justice Abdulhamid Yakubu convicted and sentenced Musa to six years imprisonment with an option to pay a N60,000 fine.
He also forfeited an iPhone S6 being the tool of his crime to the federal government while Magaji bagged three years imprisonment or a fine of N30,000.
The judge also ordered Magaji to pay N7,800,000 (Seven Million, Eight Hundred Thousand Naira, the proceeds of his crime to his victim within three months, beginning from May 2024.
