Kebbi: Ex-poly staff sentenced to 15 years in prison for fraud

One Mr Muhammed Sani Nuhu, a former academic staff of Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, has been sentenced to fifteen years in prison.

He was convicted and sentenced by Kebbi State High Court, Birnin Kebbi Judicial Division, after he was found guilty of all the offences the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) charged him with.

ICPC had arraigned him and subsequently secured his conviction for conferring corrupt advantage on himself to the tune of Six Million, One Hundred and Seventy-Three Thousand, Four Hundred Naira (N6,173,400), belonging to the Polytechnic.

The anti-graft agency disclosed the development in a statement on Tuesday by the Commission Spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua.

In a 4-count charge brought before Hon. Justice Hassan Usman of the Kebbi State High Court, the Commission averred that Mr Nuhu, a dismissed academic staff of the Polytechnic, conferred a corrupt advantage on himself when he converted into personal use the sums of two million Naira (N2,000,000:00) in 2015 and four million, one hundred and seventy-three thousand, four hundred Naira (N4,173,400:00) in 2016.

The monies were a special grant given to him to attend an international conference in Aberdeen, United Kingdom, and the first tranche of payment advanced to him for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme at the University of Technology Malaysia, respectively.

In a charge No. KB/HC/4C/2020, counsel to ICPC, Mr Mashkur Salisu, told the Court in a two-year trial that the convict refused to embark on the said programme and converted the money to his personal use.

His action was contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, as well as Section 311 of the Penal Code, and punishable under Section 312 of the Penal Code Law (Cap 89) Laws of Northern Nigeria, 1963.

The trial judge found the former Poly lecturer guilty on counts one to three and dismissed count four levelled against him.

In his judgment, therefore, Justice Usman sentenced him to five years imprisonment on each of the three counts.

The court also held that the convict makes a restitution of the sum of N6,500,000:00 being the proceeds of the crime, to the federal government. The sentences are to run concurrently.