ICPC goes tough on corruption as prosecuted civil servant gets 5-year jail term over fraud
- A civil servant, Mohammed Ibrahim Hassan, has gotten himself in trouble for defrauding the Kano state government
- The ICPC disclosed how the accused committed the offence
- The anti-graft commission has vowed to prosecute cases of corruption without fear or favour
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The federal government’s war on corruption got a boost after it secured a five-year jail term for Mohammed Ibrahim Hassan, a civil servant who defrauded the Kano state government of N513, 445.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) disclosed in a statement on Wednesday, February 10, that it charged Hassan on 4-counts of allegedly forging a treasury receipt of the Kano state government.
Source: Twitter
The ICPC told the Kano State High Court that the accused, who is a staff of the Kano State Urban Planning and Development Authority (KNUPDA), committed the offence between June 2017 and March 2018.
According to the commission, Hassan made fake treasury receipts of Kano state government to support his claim of returning N299, 509, and N213, 935 in separate tranches, to the state government, when he actually did not refund any money.
The accused entered into a plea bargain which was granted on the condition that he agreed to refund the N513, 445.
The presiding judge, Justice Lawal Wada sentenced the defendant to five years imprisonment or a fine of N100, 000.
The judge ordered the convict to refund N513, 445 to the Kano state government.
In another news, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed charges against a Nigerian senator, Stella Oduah over alleged fraud.
Premium Times, citing the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reported that the charges were filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The anti-graft agency claimed the alleged fraud occurred when the senator served as the minister of aviation during the Jonathan administration.
Meanwhile, Rotimi Amaechi, Nigeria's minister of transportation, has said corruption persisted in the country because those he described as thieves escape being jailed or severely punished.
The Punch reported that the minister stated this on Monday, February 8, at the 2021 Founders’ Lecture at the University of Port Harcourt.
Legit.ng gathers that the minister urged Nigerians to stop celebrating people who enriched themselves by stealing public funds, noting that such actions encouraged corruption.
Source: Legit.ng
