A Deputy Controller of Prisons will spend the next seven years of his life as an inmate after Justice J.J Majebi found him guilty of salary-related fraud by a Kogi State High Court sitting in Okene.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had in 2012 arraigned the prison officer, Joseph Friday Idachaba on a three count charge.
EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren said that the “convict was found guilty on count three of the charges by the trial judge.” He was however acquitted on the two remaining counts.
The third charge reads: “That you Joseph Friday Idachaba (m) being a deputy comptroller of Nigeria Prisons Service, and Onoja D. Ruth (IP) also a staff of Nigeria Prison Service, sometime between July, 2012 to February 2013 at Lokoja, Kogi State did with intent to defraud obtained N1,403,114.09 only from the Federal Government of Nigeria via the Nigeria Prison Service with pretence that same amount was the payment of monthly salaries from Nigeria Prison Service, which amount was credited into the UBA Plc account No 2054047736 belonging to one Opia Mohammed Ugbade (now at large), through NIGSS electronic fund transfer (NEFT) between July 2012-to February 2013, that the said Opia Mohammed Ugbade’s name found in the Nigeria Prison Service electronic payroll is not a staff of the Service which pretence you knew to be false and hereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(1) paragraphs A&B and punishable under section 1(3) of the Advance Free Fraud and Other Related Offences Act.
The Prisons boss is to pay N1, 403,114.09 in restitution to Nigeria Prison Service.
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