Justice Malami Umar Dogon Daji of the Sokoto State High Court sitting in Sokoto on Tuesday sentenced two officers of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mainasara Malami and Emmanuel Salihu to fourteen years imprisonment for conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence.
The convicts were dragged before the court by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for defrauding job seekers to the tune of N2,750,000 in October 2017.
One of the charges read: “That you, Mainasara Malami and Emmanuel Salihu, sometime in October, 2017, in Sokoto, within the Judicial Division of the High Court of Sokoto State with intent to defraud, obtained the total sum of N2,750,000.00 from some members of the public under false pretence of securing employment with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, which you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
They pleaded not guilty to all the charges, prompting their trial.
Prosecution counsel, S.H Sa’ad, in the course of the trial tendered documents and called witnesses to prove the case against the convicts.
Justice Dogon Daji found the defendants guilty on both counts and sentenced them to seven years imprisonment on each of the counts without an option of fine.
The sentences are to run concurrently effective from the date of arrest while the convicts were also ordered to make restitution to the victims.
The duo’s journey to prison began when EFCC received a petition alleging that Mainasara Malami of the Sokoto State Command of the NSCDC, represented himself as capable of securing employment for various persons and obtained the said sun.
During investigation, Mainasara admitted collecting the excess of N2,000,000.00 for job offers with the NSCDC which he claimed to have done at the instance of his boss, one Inspector Emmanuel Salihu of NSCDC Headquarters, Abuja.
He also confessed that all monies obtained were transferred to the account of the said Salihu.
However, Salihu admitted to have received only N694, 000.00 from Mainasara.