By George Ozalla
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the conviction of two staffers of the National Assembly for defrauding job-seekers of a total of N4.8 million by promising them employment into the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). According to a press statement signed by ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare, the fraudulent scheme began on May 27, 2021 when one of the accused, Mustapha Mohammed—who remains at large—claimed to be a friend of a National Assembly staff and solicited N3 million per applicant for two job slots at the CBN. Each applicant further paid N300,000 for a purported medical screening into an Access Bank account belonging to Badraddin Mohammed. The second accused, Tijjani Adam Goni, was found guilty alongside Mohammed after both admitted to charges under Section 25 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000. The court ordered full restitution of the N4.8 million to the ICPC Recovery Account and imposed a N100,000 fine on each convict pursuant to Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015. ICPC noted the conviction underscores its determination to curb corruption and fraudulent employment practices in the public sector.
The ICPC is the statutory body charged with tackling corruption and related offences in Nigeria, including fraud in public-sector employment. The National Assembly is Nigeria’s bicameral legislature comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives.
