Court Jails Civil Servant Seven Years For Employment Scam

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Gwagwalada, Abuja, has convicted and jailed a civil servant at the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation seven years for his involvement in employment scam.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had accused Amdii Gideon of demanding N250,000 and receiving N162,500 from an applicant with the promise to procure a job for him at the Federal Civil Service Commission.

A sketchy statement by ICPC’s spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, on Thursday, said the commission prosecuted Mr Gideon on five counts of fraud.

It added that the trial court convicted and jailed the defendant for seven years without an option of a fine on Monday.

In the case filed by ICPC, Ms Ogugua said in her statement that the victim from whom the convict took the money had reported the matter to ICPC after the convict failed to procure the said job and refused to refund his money.

During the trial, counsel for the ICPC, Michael Adesola, argued that the convict’s action was contrary to sections 8 and 10 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and Section 1 (3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006.

The prosecution, the ICPC’s statement said, was able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt which formed the premise upon which the court found Mr Gideon guilty of the charges against him.

One of the charges filed against him reads: “That You Amdii Monday Gideon (M) on or about the month of June 2015 at Abuja Federal Capital Territory while being a Public Officer at Registry Unit of the Permanent Secretary (Special Duties) office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation corruptly asks for the sum of N162,500.00 (One hundred and sixty-two thousand five hundred naira) from (name withheld) to secure a job for him and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 8(1)(a) and punishable under section 8(1)(ii) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offence Act 2000.”

ICPC had in recent times organised a Policy Dialogue on Entrenching Transparency in the Public Service Recruitment Process in Nigeria to curb recurrent cases of job racketeering.

During the event, ICPC chairman, Bolaji Owasanoye, a professor of law, noted that the commission received almost 100 petitions on recruitment scams from victims, institutions and complicit individuals saying that the situation festers due to a lack of transparency.