Connect with us

News

How prisons comptroller defrauded job applicants of N2.8m – Witness

Published

on

A prosecution witness on Thursday narrated how a Deputy Comptroller in the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS), Abubakar Mohammed Sani, allegedly defrauded unsuspecting job seekers of N2.8 million.

The witness, Ashafa Abubakar Aliyu, said Sani committed the alleged fraud under the guise of giving the job seekers employment in NCoS.

The comptroller was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on December 9, 2020, at the Federal High Court, Katsina, for allegedly using his position to obtain N2.85 million from some persons on the pretext of helping them to secure employment in the service.

In his evidence, Aliyu said that sometime in 2012 the defendant who was his colleague in the then Nigerian Prison Service contacted him and asked him to find candidates looking for employment.

The witness said: “The deputy comptroller told me that there was a vacancy in the then Nigerian Prison Service and because we did the basic course together in Kaduna and he used to lead us in prayers, I agreed to provide candidates.

READ ALSO: Comptroller of prisons arraigned, remanded in EFCC custody for employment scam

“He (deputy comptroller) convinced me to pay for the job for my relations, Umar Himma, Surajo Ibrahim, Abdullahi Gambo and others whom I could not remember their names.”

Aliyu also revealed that the defendant told the applicants that each of them must pay N300, 000 for the job during a telephone conversation.

After concluding his examination -in –chief, the defense counsel, Dr. Salisu Malami, applied for adjournment to enable him to prepare for cross-examination of the witness.

Justice Hadiza Sabi’u Shagari adjourned the matter till February 3 and 4 for continuation of trial.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

sixteen + 7 =