Police, Immigration officers Face Seven-Year Sentence Over N1.6m Employment Fraud

Justice T.G. Ringin of the Federal High Court, Gombe, has sentenced two police officers, Yusuf AbdulKarim Bature and Musa Philip, alongside an Immigration officer, Nasiru Mohammed, to seven years imprisonment each for employment fraud involving N1,640,000. The judgment was delivered on Tuesday, November 26, 2024.

Bature and Philip faced two counts of obtaining by false pretenses with intent to defraud, while Mohammed was charged with a single count of obtaining by false pretenses. The charges were brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Gombe Zonal Directorate.

The first charge against Bature and Philip stated that they falsely obtained N970,000 from one Asabe Hamed in 2022 under the pretense of securing a job. Mohammed’s charge indicated that he fraudulently collected N670,000 from Abdul Rahman Abubakar and Akwalo Adamu under the guise of offering them employment with the Nigerian Immigration Service.

All defendants pleaded guilty upon arraignment. Prosecution counsel Tortema Joshua urged the court to sentence them accordingly, while defense counsels Babangida Mohammed and K.K. Jomoh appealed for leniency, citing the defendants’ remorse and first-time offenses.

Justice Ringin sentenced the trio to seven years imprisonment each, with an option of a N50,000 fine. Additionally, the court ordered them to pay full restitution of N1,640,000 to the victims and sign undertakings for good behavior.

The convicts’ offenses were uncovered after petitioners reported in February 2024 that the officers had collected the said sums as payment for non-existent job slots, failing to either provide the jobs or refund the money.