ICPC drags ex-Appeal Court official to court over job racketeering

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned a former Court of Appeal staff, Munirat Abdulazeez, before a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in the Bwari area of Abuja over her alleged involvement in a job racketeering scam.

The defendant was brought before Justice Godwin Iheabunke, who had last Wednesday ordered her arrest after she failed to appear in court to take her plea in the suit filed against her by the ICPC.

According to the ICPC, the former Appeal Court official was arraigned for involvement in a job racketeering scam, where she promised her victims nonexistent jobs with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The ICPC said its investigation also showed that Abdulazeez who worked with the Court of Appeal from 2018 to 2023 when she was sacked due to her involvement in the racketeering and auction fraud obtained by false pretense, the total sum of N9,200,000 from eight unsuspecting job seekers, an offence which is contrary to section 1 (1) (a) and punishable under section 1 (3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006′.

One of the counts read: “That you Munirat Abdulazeez sometimes between September to December 2022 and the month of January to July 2023 or thereabout at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, while being a staff with the Court of Appeal Nigeria, Abuja division with intent to defraud did obtain by false pretence the sum of N9,200,000 only from Musa Mohammed Maude and his other friends including Sule Sadanu, Haruna Idris Lokos, Yusuf Musa, Mahmud Jibrin, Adama Mohammed Maude, Shuaibu Musa, Ahmed Sunusi and Aliyu Ahmed which sum was paid into your Access bank account with account number 1496346113 under the guise of securing employment for them in the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 (1) (a) and punishable under section 1 (3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006.”

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The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty when the two-count charge was read to her.

The defence counsel, Hamza Sani, applied to the court to maintain a subsisting date of June 13, 2025, to allow the prosecution to present its witnesses on the said date.

A bail application moved on behalf of the defendant was also not opposed by the ICPC, which indicated the commission’s readiness to proceed with the hearing.

Justice Iheabunke granted the defendant a N10 million bail with two sureties in like sum.

The sureties, according to the judge, must have landed property within the jurisdiction of the court and must deposit the title documents with the court registrar, and the same must be confirmed by the registrar.

The judge also ordered the defendant to write to the court formally in any event she wants to travel.

The matter was thereafter adjourned to June 20, 2025, for the prosecution to assemble all his witnesses.

The Star