The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the conviction of two National Assembly staff members, Mustapha Mohammed and Tijjani Adam Goni, for defrauding two individuals, Saifudeen Yakub and Aminu Abubakar, of ₦4.8 million in a fake job recruitment scam.
According to the ICPC, the case originated from petition number ICPC/P/NC/1056/2022 filed by the victims, who alleged that in May 2021, Mustapha Mohammed, currently at large, claimed he could help them secure employment at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) through his associate, Tijjani Adam Goni, a staff member of the National Assembly.
The victims paid ₦3 million into a Zenith Bank account belonging to Goni, followed by another ₦300,000 each into an Access Bank account under the name Badraddin Mohammed, purportedly for medical screening. When the promised employment letters failed to materialize, the victims petitioned the ICPC.
Following a detailed investigation, the two defendants were arraigned before Justice B.M. Bassi of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Asokoro.
ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare stated that the commission’s prosecuting counsel, Fatima Abdullahi Bardi, charged the defendants with five counts relating to fraud, conspiracy, and forgery.
The charges included offences under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and Sections 363 and 364 of the Penal Code for forging fake CBN and FIRS employment letters to extort money.
Under a plea bargain arrangement in line with Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, the defendants pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of making false statements under Section 25 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
They were ordered to refund the ₦4.8 million to the ICPC recovery account and pay a fine of ₦100,000 each.
