Court Sentences Two National Assembly Staff Over ₦4.8million Employment Fraud

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) has secured the conviction of two staff members of the National Assembly, Mustapha Mohammed and Tijjani Adam Goni.

They were jailed for defrauding two job seekers of ₦4.8 million under the guise of securing them employment at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The conviction followed a petition — number ICPC/P/NC/1056/2022 — filed by the victims, Saifudeen Yakub and Aminu Abubakar, who accused the defendants of orchestrating a fraudulent job racket.

According to the ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare in a statement on Wednesday, the case began on May 27, 2021, when a man identified as Mustapha Muhammed (currently at large) introduced himself as a friend of the first defendant, claiming both men worked at the National Assembly and could secure job placements at the CBN for ₦4 million each.

The victims were told the offer letters would be issued on April 27, 2021.

Investigations revealed that the suspects collected ₦3 million from the complainants, which was paid into a Zenith Bank account belonging to the first defendant.

The duo later demanded an additional ₦300,000 each for a purported medical screening, which was transferred to another account—Access Bank number 0090719034—belonging to one Badraddin Mohammed.

Following a thorough investigation, the ICPC arraigned the suspects before Justice B.M. Bassi of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court No. 55, sitting in Asokoro, Abuja.

Prosecuting counsel, Fatima Abdullahi Bardi, told the court that the accused persons were charged on a five-count charge bordering on fraud, conspiracy, and forgery, in violation of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006 and the Penal Code.

Counts 2 and 3 accused the defendants of forging a CBN employment letter dated June 28, 2021, titled “Final Document List,” while counts 4 and 5 involved a forged FIRS employment letter dated June 11, 2021, purportedly issued in favour of one Mustapha Muhammad.

The ICPC said both men later entered a plea bargain under Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, agreeing to refund the full ₦4.8 million to the Commission’s Recovery Account.

On October 29, 2025, the defendants pleaded guilty to an amended one-count charge of making false statements, contrary to Section 25 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

Justice Bassi consequently sentenced each of them to pay a fine of ₦100,000 after confirming that the stolen funds had been fully refunded.

Bakare stressed that the Commission remains committed to ensuring that public officers who engage in corruption and employment racketeering face the full weight of the law. 

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