NIS Recruitment Scam: EFCC vows to appeal Sen Morro’s discharge

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has vowed to appeal the ruling of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja which discharged Senator Abba Morro in the controversial 2014 Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment in which about 20 people were killed.

The Agency averred that the trial court erred in discharging the former minister and his co-defendant.

Wilson Uwujaren, head of media and publicity of the commission made this known in a statement made available to Ripples Nigeria on Thursday.
Justice Nnamdi Dimgba on Thursday convicted a former Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Interior, Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia on charges of fraud arising from the controversial recruitment exercise, but deferred her sentencing till April 17, 2022.

The former Permanent Secretary was prosecuted by the EFCC, alongside Senator Morro, former Minister of Interior; Femi O Alayebami, a Deputy Director in the Ministry; one Mahmood Ahmadu (at large), and Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd.

READ ALSO: NIS RECRUITMENT TRAGEDY: Court frees Abba Moro, jails perm Sec

They were initially arraigned on 11 count charge bordering on procurement fraud and money laundering for allegedly defrauding applicants for employment in Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to the tune of N675.675 million.

The amount represents N1,000 obtained from each applicant through e-payment for the online recruitment exercise on March 15, 2014 – an ill-fated exercise that led to the death of more than 15 applicants.

In the course of trial, the counts were reduced to 4 (counts 2, 4, 5 and 11) after the court quashed seven counts (counts 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10) following a no case submission by the defendants.

But in his judgment, Justice Dimgba convicted Daniel –Nwobia on count 4 but discharged Morro and Alayebami on all remaining four counts.

The court in convicting Daniel- Nwobia, held that as the accounting officer of the ministry, it was her responsibility to ensure compliance with the Public Procurement Act and, having found that there was no approval from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) before inviting the four companies, found her guilty.

On the other hand, the court in exonerating Morro, held that the EFCC failed to prove how he abused his position as minister as he was neither a member of the tenders board nor a member of the committee that recommended the setting up of e-recruitment portal for the exercise

All the defendants were initially arraigned before Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

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