A High Court sitting in Gombe State has sentenced an Immigration officer, Dabiet Gilbert, to one year imprisonment for obtaining N800,000 from a job seeker with promise to secure him employment with the Federal Government.
Gilbert, an employee of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) was
prosecuted by the Gombe Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a one-count charge of obtaining the funds through false pretence.
The offender was said to have instructed Akoh Daniel to pay the said sum with total promise to secure him his dream job at the Correctional Services in the country.
In a judgement delivered on Friday, Justices H.H Kereng, after several weeks of legal battle, accepted the immigration officer guilty plea.and sentenced him accordingly.
Gilbert’s charge reads: “That you Dabiet Onyemi Gilbert on or about 28th May, 2021 in Gombe, Gombe State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N800,000 from Akoh Daniel Accoustic by falsely representing that the said sum was for job placement with the Nigerian Correctional Services which pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 and punishable under Section 322 of the Penal Code Law”.
Count two of Saleh charge reads: “That you Mohammed Mustapha Sallah and Saleh Haruna sometimes between 2013 and 2014 at Bauchi, Bauchi State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court criminally “forged” a public government document and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 364 of the Penal Code and punishable under 364 of the Penal Code Law.”
While Gilbert pleaded “guilty” to his one-count charge, prompting prosecution counsel, A.M Labaran to pray the court to convict and sentence him accordingly, though the defence counsel, Yusuf Ali pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, Haruna pleaded “guilty” only to count-two of his charges, prompting prosecution counsel M.Ugbe to pray the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
Justice Kereng afterwards convicted and sentenced Gilbert to one year imprisonment with an option of fine of N60,000,
