Court jails ex-legislative aide eight years for ₦120.5m job scam

A former legislative aide and banker, Mr. Goni Yilkan, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for defrauding job seekers of ₦120.5 million under the guise of securing them employment in government agencies.

The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured the conviction on Monday before Justice F. E. Messiri of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Jabi, Abuja.

Yilkan, a native of Nguru in Yobe State, was found guilty on a two-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence, contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, and sentenced under Section 1(3) of the same Act. He will serve eight years behind bars without the option of a fine.

The EFCC said Yilkan, between 2020 and 2021, deceived one Mrs. Hindatu Bello into believing he could secure jobs for candidates in the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Acting on this false assurance, Bello collected funds from over 60 job seekers, totaling ₦120,580,550, and handed them to Yilkan.

None of the promised jobs materialised, nor was the money returned.

The convict was arraigned in October 2023 alongside one Mohammed Adamu, but while the EFCC called six witnesses and tendered documents against Yilkan, the court discharged and acquitted Adamu after finding him not guilty.

Delivering judgment, Justice Messiri held that the prosecution, led by Cosmas Ugwu, had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The defence, led by J.A. Oguche, failed to establish Yilkan’s innocence.

Yilkan’s sentencing, according to the EFCC, underscores its commitment to tackling employment racketeering and advance fee fraud.