NSCDC
ICPC Arraigns NSCDC
NSCDC
ICPC Arraigns NSCDC Staff for Job Scam, Appeals Against
Gwarzo’s Acquittal
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences
Commission (ICPC) has arraigned one Ngozi Allozie Stella Oboh, a
Superintendent with Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Abuja
Command before Hon. Justice K.N. Ogbonnaya of FCT High Court 28,
Kubwa for fraud.
In a one-count charge, the Commission alleged before the court
that the accused person, Ngozi, defrauded some job seekers to the
tune of N2, 697,000(Two Million Six Hundred and Ninety Seven
Thousand Naira under the pretext of helping them secure
employment.
The charge reads: “That you Ngozi Alozie Stella Oboh in January,
2015 or thereabouts at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja Command
with intent to defraud did obtain by false pretence the sum of (
N2,697,000.00K) Two Million Six Hundred and Ninety Seven Thousand
Naira from unsuspecting job seekers under the guise of securing
employment for them into Nigerian Prison Service and you thereby
committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable
under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related
Offences Act 2010”.
The accused pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to her
and her counsel, Okere Chamberlin, gave an oral bail application on
her behalf which the prosecuting counsel, Sulaiman Abdulkarim, did
not oppose.
In her ruling, the judge denied the accused person bail and
ordered that she be remanded in prison custody till the next
adjourned date, 14th May, 2019.
ICPC Appeal Against Gwarzo’s Acquittal
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences
Commission (ICPC) has asked the Court of Appeal to set aside the
acquittal granted to the suspended Director General of Securities
and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr. Mounir Gwarzo by a Federal
Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.
The Commission, in an appeal filed before the Abuja Division of
the appellate court said that Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf of the FCT
High Court, 4, erred in his ruling when he freed Gwarzo and a
former Commissioner of SEC, Zakawanu Garuba of N104.9 million
severance package and car allowance fraud.
Gwarzo was charged to court by ICPC on the allegations that he
abused his office by receiving the sum of N104, 851, 154.94 as
severance benefit which he was not entitled to and receiving N10
million in excess of the car grant that he was entitled to, when he
moved from Commissioner in SEC to Director General of the same
agency.
ICPC’s Lawyer, Raheem Adesina, citing 12 grounds why the
appellate court should order for a retrial of the accused persons
as well as re-assign the case to another judge, said that justice
Baba-Yusuf’s reasons for the acquittal of Gwarzo were against the
extant laws that set up SEC and other federal government
agencies.
Adesina also stated that the federal government was denied
justice when the trial judge, Baba-Yusuf, set aside the provisions
of ‘Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries
and Allowances) Act, 2008’ amended, which prescribed only N5.8
million severance package, when he ruled in favour of Gwarzo.
Adesina further argued that it was a travesty of justice for
Baba-Yusuf to rule that the SEC board has all the powers to fix the
severance package and other remunerations against extant laws of
the land.
He added that the trial judge shut his eyes to obvious evidence
before him, and deliberately avoided interpreting the document
tendered by ICPC that showed only the payment of retirement and
resignation benefits was permissible for political appointees that
have spent two years and above in SEC.
Signed: Mrs. Rasheedat A. Okoduwa, mni
Spokesperson for the Commission