Dismissed police officer jailed four years for fraud

An Upper Area Court in Zuba, Abuja, on Friday, sentenced a dismissed police officer, Benjamin Tanko, to four years imprisonment for fraud.

The convict had earlier pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of criminal breach of trust and cheating.

He begged the court for leniency before the sentencing.

The judge, Ismail Abdullahi, however, gave the dismissed police officer an option of N50,000 fine and warned him to shun crime.

Abdullahi said the punishment would have been severe if the convict had not pleaded guilty, adding that the guilty plea saved the court the pains of long prosecution.

He also ordered the convict to pay N1.2 million compensation to the complainant.

READ ALSO: Police officer dismissed five months after killing five in Enugu

The prosecutor, Chinedu Ogada, had earlier told the court that the complainant, Austin Uchenna of Mararaba, Nasarawa State, reported the case at the Iddo Police Station, Abuja, on September 24.

Ogada said: “The complainant claimed that the convict presented himself as a caretaker of a house in Aco Estate, Lugbe, Abuja.

“He fraudulently rented a two-bedroom apartment in the estate to the complainant for two years and collected N1.2 million from him.

“The convict converted the money to his personal use and ran away to an unknown destination.

“The police tracked the convict to Taraba where he was arrested. He also made a confessional statement to the operatives.”

The prosecutor said the offence contravened the provisions of Sections 312 and 322 of the Penal Code.

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