By Nkechi Eze
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the conviction of a Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) officer, Mr. Saifullahi Haruna, over his involvement in a fraudulent employment scheme.
In a statement signed by the Commission’s spokesperson, Demola Bakare, the anti-graft agency disclosed that Haruna was arraigned before the Katsina State High Court on a one-count charge bordering on obtaining by deceit and abuse of office, after a petition was filed against him by a victim of the scam.
According to the ICPC, the convicted officer had, sometime in 2021, deceitfully obtained the sum of N140,000 from the complainant, Mr. Adamu Ibrahim, in instalments under the false pretense of securing a job for him in the Nigeria Immigration Service. Haruna failed to fulfill the promise and neither refunded the money until the ICPC launched an investigation following the petition.
The case, which was prosecuted under Section 8 of the ICPC Act 2000, culminated in the conviction of Haruna, who pleaded guilty before Honourable Justice A.B. Abdullahi.
The Commission disclosed that the convict entered into a plea bargain agreement with the ICPC, in which he admitted to the crime and refunded the total amount obtained from his victim.
Delivering judgment, Justice Abdullahi ruled in favour of the plea bargain and sentenced Haruna to one year in prison with an option of a ₦10,000 fine.
“The court, having considered the application for plea bargain and given the fact that the defendant has since refunded the amount subject to the offence, hereby accepts the Plea Bargain and accordingly offers the convict an option of fine in lieu of imprisonment,” the judge ruled.
The court also ordered that the recovered amount be returned to the nominal complainant, Adamu Ibrahim, if the restitution had not already been completed.
The ICPC reaffirmed its commitment to tackling all forms of corruption and abuse of office, warning that no public servant, regardless of rank, will be spared if found culpable.
