Court Sentences Sokoto Director to Seven Years Imprisonment over Job Scam

Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto

A Federal High Court in Sokoto presided over by Justice Ahmad Mahmud has sentenced a Director with the Sokoto State Commodity Board, Hassan Bello, to seven years imprisonment with an option of N100,000 fine over job scam.

This followed the guilty plea entered by the convict yesterday.

Justice Mahmud also directed him to pay a restitution of N850, 000 to the victims through the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), and the court to be notified of the payment.

He stated that failure to pay the restitution within six months would earn him two years imprisonment.

Justice Mahmud directed the convict to enter into an undertaking of good behaviour before the court.

Bello was said to have collected the sum of N1.3 million from Aliyu Adamu-Tsaki, Yusuf Abubakar, Yahaya Salihu and 43 others under the pretence of securing employment for them with the board.

When the victims discovered they were scammed by the convict, they reported the matter to EFCC.

The EFCC later took up the matter, and when the case came up for hearing yesterday, the accused pleaded guilty and was sentenced by the Judge.