Court jails ex-poly lecturer for N6.1m fraud

The Kebbi State High Court sitting in Birnin Kebbi has sentenced a former lecturer at the Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, Muhammed Sani Nuhu, to 15 years imprisonment for conferring corrupt advantage on himself to the tune of N6.1 million belonging to the polytechnic.

Nuhu was arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on a four-count charge before Justice Hassan Usman.

The ICPC noted that the former lecturer converted into personal use the sums of N2 million in 2015 and N4.1 million in 2016.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday, May 23, by the ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, the anti-graft agency stated that the monies were a special grant given to Nuhu to attend an International Conference in Aberdeen, United Kingdom, and the first tranche of payment advanced to him for Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) Programme at University of Technology Malaysia, respectively.

READ ALSO: EFCC re-arraigns businesswoman, firm for N57.6m fraud

The counsel for ICPC, Mashkur Salisu, had told the court in a trial, which lasted for two years, how the convict refused to embark on the said Programme and converted the money to his personal use.

Salisu said the former lecturer’s 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.

Justice Usman found the former lecturer guilty on counts one to three, and dismissed count four leveled against him.

The judge, therefore, sentenced Nuhu to five years imprisonment on each of the three counts.

He also ordered the convict to make a restitution of the sum of N6.5 million being the proceed of the crime to the Federal Government, adding that sentences are to run concurrently.

The Star