In a landmark judgment, the Federal High Court sitting in Gombe, Gombe State, has convicted and sentenced two police officers, Yusuf AbdulKarim Bature and Musa Philip, and an immigration officer, Nasiru Mohammed, to seven years imprisonment each for employment fraud.
The convicts were found guilty of obtaining by false pretences and intent to defraud, having collected a total sum of N1,640,000 from unsuspecting job seekers. According to the charges, Bature and Philip collected N970,000 from one Asabe Hamed, while Mohammed collected N670,000 from Abdul Rahman Abubakar and Akwalo Adamu, all under the false pretence of securing them jobs with the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigerian Immigration Service, respectively.
Justice T.G. Ringing, who delivered the judgment on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, also ordered the convicts to pay restitution of N1,640,000 to the petitioners and sign an undertaking to be of good behaviour henceforth. The convicts have the option of paying a fine of N50,000 each instead of serving the prison term.
The convicts’ journey to the Correctional Centre began in February 2024 when some petitioners alleged that they had collected money from them for employment slots but neither offered them the jobs nor returned their money.
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