Court sentences PTDF scammer 10 years

Convicts ex-NNPC official for N6b fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Sokoto Zonal Office, yesterday secured the conviction of one Mobuse John before Hon. Justice Muhammad Sifawa of Sokoto State High Court, for cheating.Upon arraignment, John pleaded guilty to the charge.

In view of the plea, the prosecution counsel asked the court to convict and sentence the defendant in line with the provision of the law and prayed the court to close the website as well as the account used in committing the offence.

However, defence counsel, Shamsu Dauda, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, as his client was a first-time offender who had become remorseful.He also told the court that the convict had fully restituted the victim.

Justice Sifawa jailed the defendant 10 years with an option of N200,000 fine.He ordered the account and website of the convict to be closed.

The convict’s journey to prison started on the August 29, 2019 when he was arrested in Warri, Delta State, for defrauding unsuspecting citizens with a fraudulent online PTDF Scholarship for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Awards in Nigeria Colleges of Education, Polytechnics and universities for 2019/2020 Academic Session.

Upon his arrest, John admitted to receiving over N1.5 million from his victims across the country using one Martha Okotie’s account as a conduit for receiving the monies.

Similarly, the EFCC, Kaduna Zonal Office, has secured the conviction of one Abdulkadir Salihu, a former sales assistant of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Kaduna Depot. Salihu was arraigned on a three-count charge of fraud to the tune of N6 billion, before Justice Zainab Abubakar of the Federal High Court in Kaduna State.

The convict, who was in charge of loading manifest at the Kaduna Depot of NNPC, was arrested on October 29, 2019 and arraigned yesterday.He pleaded guilty to the three-count charge when it was read to him, paving way for EFCC prosecution lawyer, Deborah Ademu-Eteh, to ask for sentencing accordingly.

Trouble began for the convict when several petitions against him were submitted to the EFCC and upon investigation, it was discovered that he conspired with other marketers to lift petroleum products worth over N6 billion without payment at NNPC depot in Kaduna.

Investigation further revealed that he was part of the cartel behind multiple loading of petroleum products between 2009 and 2017 at Kaduna Depot without corresponding payments. Following his guilty plea, Justice Abubakar sentenced the suspect to three years with an option of N1 million fine.

The accused, according to the Judge, will also forfeit many houses, a water factory and a fuel station with four pumps, all in Kaduna. Other properties forfeited to the Federal Government are five vehicles, his gratuity and 30 per cent of his monthly pension.