The Gombe State High Court sitting in Gombe has convicted and sentenced an officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Dabiet Onyemi Gilbert, to one year imprisonment for fraud.

Gilbert was prosecuted on a one-count charge of obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N800,000 by the Gombe Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The charge read: “That you Dabiet Onyemi Gilbert on or about 28th May 2021 in Gombe, Gombe State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N800,000.00 from Akoh Daniel Accoustic by falsely representing that the said sum was for job placement with the Nigerian Correctional Services which pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 and punishable under Section 322 of the Penal Code Law”.

The immigration officer pleaded “guilty” to the one-count charge, prompting prosecution counsel, A.M Labaran, to pray the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.

The defence counsel, Yusuf Ali, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.

Presiding judge Justices H.H Kereng, thereafter, convicted and sentenced Gilbert to one year imprisonment with an option of fine of N60,000.

Immigration officer jailed for passport fraud

The EFCC, in a statement on Friday, June 28, 2024, noted that Gilbert’s journey to prison began when his victim petitioned the anti-graft agency after realising that he had been defrauded over a non-existing Nigerian Correctional Service’ (NCoS) job while all efforts to get his money back proved abortive.

Meanwhile, the Bauchi State High Court has convicted and sentenced one Saleh Haruna to five years imprisonment for fraud.

Haruna was prosecuted on a two-count charge bordering on forgery by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Count two of Haruna’s charge read: “That you Mohammed Mustapha Sallah and Saleh Haruna sometimes between 2013 and 2014 at Bauchi, Bauchi State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court criminally ‘forged’ a public government document and  thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 364 of the Penal Code  and punishable under  364 of the Penal Code Law.”

He pleaded “guilty” only to count two of his charges, prompting prosecution counsel M.Ugbe to pray the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.

The presiding judge, Justice Muazu Abubakar, therefore, convicted and sentenced Haruna to five years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000.

Justice Abubakar adjourned till July 8, 2024, for hearing on count one of the charges.

The Star