Fake Soldier Sentenced to Three Years Imprisonment in Niger

 Laleye Dipo in Minna

 A 32 year old ‘fake soldier’ Tanko Mohammed was yesterday sentenced to a three-year jail term by a Minna Chief Magistrate Court for parading himself as a military man and defrauding unsuspecting members of the public of N7million.

 Mohammed was said to have perpetrated the crime on the guise that he would assist his victims to be recruited into the Nigerian Army.

He was charged before Chief Magistrate Nasir Muazu on a four-count charge of criminal breach of trust, cheating, impersonation and charms.

  Police Prosecutor, ASP Daniel Ikwoche, told the court that one Diko Barde filed a petition against the convict before the Inspector General of Police (IG) monitoring unit, Minna office, on July 9.

 Ikwoche said Barde claimed in the petition that in March 2017, the convict came to him claiming to be a soldier serving with the Nigerian Army Depot Training School in Zaria, and that he had slots for 42 candidates to be recruited into the Nigerian army.

The petitioner stated that the prosecution further told the court said each candidate was said to have paid between N105, 000 and, N150, 000, totaling about N7million without any offer of recruitment as promised.

 When arrested, the convict was found in possession of rubber stamp of the Nigerian Army Depot Training School in Zaria; Army Magazine of 2013 publication and some charms.

 He said the offences are contrary to sections 312, 322, 132 and 217 of the penal code law.