The fraud came to light following a petition (ICPC/P/NC/1056/2022) by victims Saifudeen Yakub and Aminu Abubakar, who reported that an absconding accomplice, Mustapha Mohammed, promised CBN jobs for N4 million each, with appointment letters slated for April 2021.

ICPC investigations uncovered that the victims paid N3 million into a Zenith Bank account owned by the first defendant and later transferred N300,000 each to an Access Bank account under Badraddin Mohammed for alleged medical screening.

ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare announced on Wednesday that the duo was arraigned before Justice B.M. Bassi at FCT High Court No. 55, Asokoro, Abuja, on five counts of advance fee fraud, forgery, and conspiracy under the Advance Fee Fraud Act 2006 and the Penal Code.

Prosecutor Fatima Abdullahi Bardi detailed how the defendants forged CBN and FIRS employment letters dated June 28 and June 11, 2021, respectively. 

One charge stated: “That you, Ibrahim Suleiman Umar (m), and Tijjani Adam Goni (m), on or about June 2021… conspired to forge a letter of employment… purportedly issued by the Federal Inland Revenue Service… contrary to section 363 and punishable under section 364 of the Penal Code.”

Invoking Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 for plea bargaining, the defendants admitted guilt to a reduced charge of making false statements under Section 25 of the ICPC Act after agreeing to repay the full N4.8 million into the Commission’s Recovery Account.

Justice Bassi convicted them on the amended single count, imposing a N100,000 fine on each after full restitution was confirmed.