Three Fraudsters Jailed In Gombe For Employment Fraud

Joseph Bakare

Justice J.A Kereng of the Gombe State High Court in Gombe,  on Monday,  April 8, 2024, convicted and sentenced Ibrahim Abdullahi and Umar Usman to various jail terms for obtaining the sum of N682,847.00 ( Six Hundred and Eighty- Two Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty-Seven Naira only) under false pretences .

He also sentenced Mohammed Sala Soja to six years imprisonment.  All the three convicts were jailed for employment fraud.

Abdullahi and Usman were separately arraigned on three count charges  of cheating and employment scam by the Gombe Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The charge against Ibrahim Abdullahi reads: “That you,  Ibrahim Abdullahi sometimes in October 2020 and January 2021 in Gombe,  Gombe State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court,  obtained the Polaris ATM Card properties of Aminu Adamu Idris  and Muhammed Saidu Jibril, which you claimed was documentation for offer of employment you secured for them in a private liability company at Gombe, but rather used the said ATM to obtain loan to the tune of N682,847(Six hundred and Eighty Two Thousand,  Eighty Hundred and Forty Seven Naira only) without their consent and thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 320 of the Penal  Code Law and punishable under Section 322 of the same Law “.

The charge reads “that you, umar Usman sometimes in October 2020 and January 2021 in Gombe,  Gombe State within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court,  obtained the Polaris ATM Card properties of Aminu Adamu. Idris  and Muhammed Sadu Jibril, which you claimed was documentation for offer of employment you secured for them in a private liability company at Gombe, but rather used the said ATM to obtain loan to the tune of N682,847 (Six Hundred and Eighty Two Thousand,  Eighty Hundred and Forty Seven Naira only) without their consent and there by committed an offense contrary to section 320 of the Penal  Code Law and punishable under Section 322 of the same Law “.

Upon arraignment, the defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges when they were read to them .

In view of the defendants’ pleas, prosecuting counsel,  A.B Kware prayed the court to  convict and sentence them accordingly. However, counsel to the defendants,  R.A. Anthony pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy “as the defendants are first- time offenders who are remorseful for their  actions”.

Justice Kereng  convicted and sentenced Abdulahi to one year imprisonment with  an option of  fine of N50,000( Fifty Thousand Naira only) and  Usman bagged  two years imprisonment or a fine  of N50,000.

The convicts bagged their imprisonment when they allegedly approached their victims in October 2022 about some phony job opportunities in a private liability company in Gombe State.  They directed their victims  to each  open an  account with Polaris bank  which they did and surrendered the  account details as well as their ATM Cards to  them . The convicts in return gave their victims  the sum of  N10,000 each . After a while, the victims  had issues  with  Polaris bank’s transactions and  went to the bank to make enquiries only to be confronted with an outstanding loan of N682 ,847.  All efforts to distance themselves from the loan proved abortive and reported the case to the EFCC/

In a similar development on Monday,  Justice  Kereng  also  convicted and sentenced one Soja to six months imprisonment.  He  was arraigned on  three count charges of intent to defraud  , cheating and employment scam  by the Gombe Zonal Command of the Economic and financial Crimes Commission , EFCC

One of the charge reads “that you, Muhammed Sala Soja sometimes in July 2023, at Gombe,  Gombe State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud  did make a false document  titled “2023 recruitment invitation for marshal’s basic course” which knew to be false and thereby committed an offense contrary to section 362 of the Penal Code Law and punishable under Section 364 of the same Law. ”

Upon arraignment, he pleaded guilty to the charges,  prompting the prosecution counsel, AB Kware to pray the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.  However,  counsel to the defendant, I.S Gada pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy “as the defendant who was  remorseful for his actions is  the breadwinner of his family and  has a  medically challenged father to care for”.

Justice Kereng then asked  Kware if the defendant was a first time- offender and the prosecution counsel  responded that  though  the defendant had made restitution to the victim of crime, he was convicted  by same court  on  February 14 2024 for a similar offence”.

Responding, the judge said, “ based on the plea of the defence counsel coupled with  the fact  that the defendant has restituted the victim of crime and his father’s medical condition ,  I will give him a second chance. The defendant is hereby convicted and sentenced to six years imprisonment with  an option of fine of N150,000.

Soja still  has other  pending cases with the EFCC .